Sarita Simmons
Sarita Simmons | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Mississippi Senate from the 13th district | |
| Assumed office January 7, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Willie Lee Simmons |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sarita Simmons May 14, 1977 Cleveland, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Alcorn State University (BS) | |
Sarita Simmons (born May 14, 1977) is an American politician, serving in the Mississippi State Senate from the 13th district since 2020.
Early life and education
[edit]Simmons was born in Cleveland, Mississippi.[1] Her father is Willie Lee Simmons, former Mississippi Senate member from the 13th district and current Central District Transportation Commissioner.[2] Her mother Rosie Simmons was the Bolivar County Circuit Clerk, the first African American since Reconstruction to serve that post.[2]
Simmons graduated from Cleveland High School in 1995 and graduated from Alcorn State University with a Bachelor's of Science in Educational Psychology in 1999.[3][4] After graduating, she moved to Georgia to work in education and behavioral health.[3] Before moving back to Mississippi, she was working in drug rehabilitation and outreach in Atlanta.[5]
Career
[edit]Simmons moved back to Mississippi in 2004 to manage the family-owned soul food restaurant in Cleveland, Mississippi.[3][5][4]
When her father did not file for re-election for the 13th district — which encompasses parts of Bolivar, Sunflower, and Tallahatchie counties — Simmons ran for the seat.[3][6] She received a little over 42 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary runoff election and about 65 percent in the general election.[7] She assumed office on January 7, 2020.[7] She is the first Black woman to hold the seat.[3]
For the 2024-2028 session 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; Education, Ethics, Housing, Labor, and Tourism.[1]
Political positions
[edit]Simmons, in partnership with Senator Walter Michel, authored a bill to allow wine sales in grocery stores; the bipartisan bill died in committee.[8]
In coordination with several Delta Legislators, Simmons created a multistep plan to address conditions at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Sunflower County, an infamous prison located in Simmon's 13th district.[9] This came after lawmakers proposed additional cuts for funding to the Mississippi Department of Corrections.[10]
She voted for changing the Mississippi state flag.[11]
Personal life
[edit]She is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, NAACP, National Council of Negro Women, and the Bolivar County Democratic Executive Committee.[1] She is Baptist.[1][4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Sarita Simmons". Mississippi State Senate. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ a b Stowers, Mark (April 30, 2020). "The Simmons Family – A Recipe for Success in Public Service". Bolivar Bullet. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Gillette, Becky (April 11, 2025). "Sarita Simmons". Delta Business Journal. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
- ^ a b c "Simmons seeks District 13 seat". The Enterprise-Tocsin. February 28, 2019. p. 1.
- ^ a b Pettus, Emily Wagster (May 25, 2005). "Delta senator finds success with soul food restaurant". The Vicksburg Post. Associated Press. p. 18.
- ^ Criss, Jack (June 19, 2021). "Sen. Sarita Simmons". The Bolivar Bullet.
- ^ a b "Sarita Simmons". Ballotpedia. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ Warren, Anthony (March 13, 2020). "Wine sales in grocery stores dead". The Northside Sun. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ "Delta lawmakers present plan to address Parchman issues". The Enterprise-Tocsin. February 2, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ Richard, Brandon (January 8, 2020). "Mississippi lawmakers propose cuts at Parchman, reject improvement plan". WLBT. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ Bologna, Giacomo. "Here is how each lawmaker voted on the Mississippi state flag resolution". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
- 1977 births
- African-American state legislators in Mississippi
- 21st-century American women politicians
- People from Cleveland, Mississippi
- Mississippi Democrats
- Living people
- 21st-century African-American women politicians
- Alcorn State University alumni
- 21st-century African-American politicians
- 21st-century members of the Mississippi Legislature