Bill Text: MS SC540 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Recognize legacy of Rosie S. Simmons as the first African American since Reconstruction to serve as Bolivar County Circuit Clerk.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 36-16)
Status: (Passed) 2024-05-02 - Enrolled Bill Signed [SC540 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2024-SC540-Enrolled.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2024 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Simmons (13th), Simmons (12th), Blount, Turner-Ford, Horhn, Butler, Brumfield, Frazier, Jackson, McCaughn, McLendon, Norwood, Suber, Thompson, England, Hickman, Barnett, Barrett, Berry, Blackmon, Blackwell, Boyd, Branning, Bryan, Carter, Chassaniol, Chism, DeBar, DeLano, Fillingane, Harkins, Hill, Hopson, Johnson, Jordan, Kirby, Ladner, McMahan, Michel, Parker, Parks, Polk, Rhodes, Robinson, Seymour, Sparks, Tate, Thomas, Whaley, Wiggins, Williams, Younger
Senate Concurrent Resolution 540
(As Adopted by Senate and House)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE LEGACY OF ROSIE S. SIMMONS AS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN SINCE RECONSTRUCTION TO SERVE AS CIRCUIT CLERK OF BOLIVAR COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI.
WHEREAS, Rosie S. Simmons, was elected in 1988 as the first African American and the first African American woman since Reconstruction to the Office of Bolivar County Circuit Clerk, and served as the Circuit Clerk of Bolivar County for 20 consecutive years; and
WHEREAS, Rosie Simmons, a native of Fernwood, Mississippi, received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Tougaloo College in 1967. Upon graduating college, she began the next chapter of her life and a career as an educator in the West Bolivar School District in Rosedale, Mississippi, where she met her future husband. She eventually sought employment in the field of Environmental Health at the Delta Health Center in Mound Bayou, which was the first low-income clinic of its kind in Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, in 1976, Rosie Simmons began serving as a Deputy Clerk for the Bolivar County Circuit Clerk's Office and worked there for several years until she took a position with the Superintendent of Education. Within just a few years she returned to the Bolivar County Circuit Clerk's Office and continued to serve as a Deputy Clerk until being elected to office as the Bolivar County Circuit Clerk in 1988; and
WHEREAS, Rosie Simmons was raised in the church and is the eldest daughter of the late Pastor Earnest Landrew. She earned a Biblical degree in "Divinity" under the tutelage of Bishop Roderick Mitchell in 1999 and is presently a member of the House of Prayer for All People under the pastorship of Apostle Joseph Young; and
WHEREAS, Rosie has been married to the current Mississippi Central District Transportation Commissioner and former State Senator Willie Simmons for over 50 years; and from this union they had four children: Christopher, Avery, Reginald and Senator Sarita Simmons, along with ten grandchildren and several great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Rosie S. Simmons's life has been marked by her commitment to service and her dedication to selfless leadership. She has set the highest standard in all of her many roles, as a ground-breaking leader, a minister, a wife, a mother, and a true friend:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize the legacy of Rosie S. Simmons as the first African American since Reconstruction to serve as Circuit Clerk of Bolivar County, Mississippi, and extend the best wishes of the Mississippi Senate for future success.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Rosie S. Simmons and her family, forwarded to the Bolivar County Board of Supervisors, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.
