Sarita Simmons
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May 14, 1977
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 |
| Alma mater | Alcorn State University |
Sarita Simmons (born May 14, 1977) is an American politician, serving in the Mississippi State Senate from the 13th district since 2020.
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
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]