Sarita Simmons (born May 14, 1977) is an American politician, serving in the

Mississippi State Senate The Mississippi Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate, along with the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, convenes at the Mississippi State Capitol ...

from the 13th district since 2020.

Early life and education

Simmons was born in Cleveland, Mississippi. Her father is

Willie Lee Simmons Willie Lee Simmons (born March 21, 1947) is an American politician and former member of the Mississippi State Senate from the 13th District, where he served from 1993 to 2020. Simmons ran for election to the Mississippi Transportation Commissio ...

, former Mississippi Senate member from the 13th district and current Central District Transportation Commissioner. Her mother was the

Bolivar County Bolivar County ( ) is a County (United States), county located on the western border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 30,985. Its county seats are Rosedale, Mississippi, Roseda ...

Circuit Clerk, the first African American since Reconstruction to serve that post. Simmons attended Cleveland High School and graduated from

Alcorn State University Alcorn State University (Alcorn State, ASU or Alcorn) is a public historically black land-grant university adjacent to Lorman, Mississippi. It was founded in 1871 and was the first black land grant college established in the United States. O ...

with a

bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...

in education and psychology.

Career

Simmons has worked as the general manager for the family-owned restaurant, The Senator's Place, which is located in Cleveland, Mississippi. When her father didn't file for re-election for the 13th district, she decided to run. The district encompasses parts of Bolivar, Sunflower, and Tallahatchie counties. She received 42.1% of the vote in the Democratic primary election and 65.1% in the general election; she assumed office on January 7, 2020. In the Mississippi Senate, she serves as vice-chair for the Investigate State Offices Committee and is a member on the following committees: Agriculture; Appropriations; Corrections; Drug Policy; Environment Prot, Cons, and Water Res; Labor; Ports and Marine Resources; and State Library.

Political positions

Simmons, in partnership with Senator Walter Michel, authored a bill to allow wine sales in grocery stores; the bipartisan bill died in the Senate Finance Committee. In coordination with several Delta Legislators, Simmons created a multi-step plan to address conditions at the

Mississippi State Penitentiary Mississippi State Penitentiary (MSP), also known as Parchman Farm, is a maximum-security prison farm located in unincorporated Sunflower County, Mississippi, in the Mississippi Delta region. Occupying about of land,Sunflower County, an infamous prison located in Simmon's 13th district. This came after lawmakers proposed additional cuts for funding to the Mississippi Department of Corrections. She voted for changing the Mississippi state flag.

Personal life

She is a member of the

Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. Delta ...

sorority,

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

, National Council of Negro Women, and the Bolivar County Democratic Executive Committee. She is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, Sarita 1977 births 21st-century American politicians African-American state legislators in Mississippi 21st-century American women politicians People from Cleveland, Mississippi Mississippi Democrats Living people African-American women in politics Alcorn State University alumni 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women