Myra Virginia Simmons

Simmons was a California suffragist who served as president of the Colored American Equal Suffrage League (CAESL). She was active in the Women's Christian Temperance Union and often organized events at her church to promote the suffrage cause.^[1] Simmons was politically active in the 1910s and her suffrage work was mentioned several times in the San Francisco Call newspaper. In 1911 she was the keynote speaker at a gathering of suffragists of color at the North Oakland Baptist Church.^[1] She was serving as President of the Colored Women's Suffrage League that year, which was the year women in California won the right to vote.^[2] Simmons served as a precinct captain on election day.^[3]

After women won the right to vote in California, Simmons organized women voters to encourage them to be politically active. On November 23, 1911 The San Francisco Call reported that she was chairing a new "Women's Civic and Progressive League" to educate newly enfranchised female voters.^[4] In 1912 she participated in a conference which aimed to reduce gambling as part of the northern branch of the California Civic League. Dozens of delegates were sent to this regional conference for women and Simmons participated as representative for the Alameda County Colored Americans.^[5] In 1915 she served as Chairman of the Alameda County Day Committee.^[6] That year she also served as president of the Civic Center, a club for Black women.^[7]