Althea T.L. Simmons

Born April 17, 1924, in Shreveport, Louisiana Died September 13, 1990, in Washington, D.C.

Althea Simmons was the chief congressional lobbyist of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the director of the civil rights organization’s Washington bureau. She came to Washington after two decades of field experience and administrative positions with the NAACP. Considered one of the most effective lobbyists on Capitol Hill, she played a key role in such legislative victories as the 1982 extension of the Voting Rights Act, sanctions against South Africa, and a national holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.