Damario Solomon-Simmons
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Damario Solomon-Simmons, M. Ed., J.D., (born June 15, 1976) is an attorney, professor, lobbyist, and columnist. As a thoughtful and dynamic speaker Damario is a frequent radio and television guest, as well as a highly sought speaker for conferences, events, keynotes, and seminars.
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[edit] Biography
Damario Solomon-Simmons ("Damario") is a proud native of the severely economically disadvantaged North Tulsa or otherwise known as Greenwood, Tulsa, Oklahoma, home of the Historic Black Wall Street. After making a "C" in Driver's Education, graduating with only a 2.3 grade point average, ranked 232nd out of 261 graduates from Booker T. Washington High School, Simmons accepted a football scholarship to Northeastern Oklahoma State University.
However, Damario, not serious about education or life, dropped out of school to "find himself" and moved to Dallas, Texas. While working in a warehouse in Dallas, Damario became conscious of and accepted his responsibilities as a Black Man. It was then that Damario realized that an education was a necessary asset to fulfilling his obligations and making a positive difference for his community. He is married to his high school sweetheart Tulsa Fox23's News Anchor and talk show host Mia Fleming.
[edit] Education & Career
[edit] Education
Damario moved back to Tulsa and enrolled in Tulsa Community College ("TCC"), earning his Associates degree in History from TCC. Later that year, he enrolled at the University of Oklahoma ("OU"), earning his Bachelor's Degree in African & African American Studies in 1999. While at OU, Damario walked on to the Sooner's football team as a linebacker. Within a year, Damario earned a full scholarship and eventually won two letters. In addition, he was a two-time recipient of the University of Oklahoma's Prentice Gautt Award for the most outstanding African-American Athlete at OU. After completing his Bachelor's Degree, Damario worked in Student Affairs as the Coordinator of the University of Oklahoma's biggest scholarship program and completed a Master's Degree in Adult & Higher Education.
In 2001, Damario accepted a full academic scholarship to the University Of Oklahoma College Of Law. While earning his law degree at OU and working for the OU Athletic Department in 2003, Damario established Bridge Builders: African-America Student Athlete Network, a program that has revolutionized and significantly improved the overall development of African-American Athletes at OU, and has received national recognition as a model program for Black athletes. Upon graduating in 2004, Damario received the Joel Jankowski Award which honors the most outstanding OU law student.
[edit] Career
After graduating from law school, Damario founded SolomonSimmonsSharrock & Associates, PLLC ("Solomon") a corporate and civil litigation firm with emphasis on Civil Rights, Sports & Entertainment, Business Transaction, Government Relations, and Personal Injury Law. Since the formation of Solomon, Damario has been lead counsel in several high profile clients and cases, including successfully arguing for Citizenship rights of the so-called Creek Freedman (Creeks of African Descent) Johnson & Graham v. Muscogee (Creek) Nation widely considered the most important civil rights case in Indian country in over twenty-five years. Damario has been integral in Alexander v. City of Tulsa et.al the suit to obtain reparations for the Greenwood Massacre a/k/a the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot serving as a community organizer and key legal advisor to lead counsel Harvard University Law Professor Dr. Charles Ogletree.
In addition, Damario has served as a full-time lecturer for the University of Oklahoma African & African American Studies teaching classes on African-American Males, Oklahoma African-American History, and African-American in Sports. As a college professor, Damario has been recognized by his students as an "excellent teacher" with a unique ability to take difficult and sensitive material and "make it fun, interesting and easy to learn."
Passionate about travel and international affairs, Damario has worked at the United States State Department in Washington D.C. at the Office of the Legal Advisor for Private International Law, studied Law at Oxford University in Oxford, England, studied Afrikan culture in Gambia and Senegal West Africa, and worked as a consultant at one of South Africa's premier event planning and production companies, JAKE Enterprises, in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Mr. Solomon Simmons is also an active member of many organizations including the Reparations Coordinating Committee, The Greenwood Political Action Committee, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Xi Omega Graduate Chapter Chaplin, Sanctuary Evanglistic Church.
[edit] Notable Speaking Engagements
5/9/05 Congressional Black Caucus Tulsa Race Riot Hearing: Topic of Testimony: Social, Political, Economic Impact of the Greenwood (Tulsa) Holocaust Then & Now: Washington DC
4/7/05 Notre Dame Law School: Topic of Presentation: Reparations and The Greenwood (Tulsa) Holocaust: South Bend, Indiana.
3/19/04 National Black Law Student Association 36th Annual National Convention: Topic of Symposium: National Reparations Symposium: Boston, Massachusetts.
2/22/04 National Black Law Student Association 18th Annual Rocky Mountain Convention: Topic of Presentation: FORTY ACRES AND A MULE: The Reparations Discussion: Lubbock, Texas.
10/5/03 Brothers of the Academy National Think Tank Conference: Topic of Workshop: Seven Practical Steps for Empowerment for African American Students: Kansas City, Missouri.
5/7/03 University of Oklahoma African-American Graduation Celebration: Topic of Keynote (Commencement Speaker): If not now then when, If not you then who?: University of Oklahoma at Norman.
4/4/03 Bowie Student Government Association: Topic of Speech: Affirmative Action...What about Reparation?: Bowie State University at Bowie, Maryland.
[edit] External Links
[SolomonSimmonsSharrock & Associates] [1]
[Profile in Oklahoma Magazine's 40 under 40:] [2]
