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Born April 17, 1924, in Shreveport, LA
Died September 13, 1990, in Washington, DC
Civil rights activist Althea Simmons was the chief congressional lobbyist of the NAACP and the director of the organization’s Washington, D.C. 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 the establishment of a national holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.