Meet Evelyn Boyd Simmons

What is your name?

Evelyn Boyd Simmons – no hyphen, last name “Simmons”.  This was carefully negotiated with my more-traditional-in-some-ways-than-I-thought husband to whom it was surprisingly important that his wife “take his name”.  

In what capacity do you serve youth in the DC community?

As a volunteer parent and community leader.  I am not a paid education advocate.  I chair the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2F Education Committee, I’m Vice President of the Garrison Elementary School parent-teacher organization and I serve on the Local School Advisory Team there.   I also recently was elected to the district Headstart Parent Policy Council. 

What made you want to get involved with education and youth?

I didn’t really “want” to.  I was compelled to get involved in education because it is essential that my two young children receive a world class education.  And the truth is, in my little corner of Ward 2, it remains unclear how or when that might be possible.   I’m afraid it won’t happen without the community getting organized and demanding it. I became an “engaged parent” to see if I could make a contribution to improving the schools in my neighborhood. 

What is the hardest part about the work that you do?

Well, everything is more difficult than it should be, given the fact that what we all ostensibly want is a world class education at our neighborhood public schools.  The most difficult thing is that, unless there are systemic changes, my efforts don’t really count for much.  It’s difficult some days just to keep my head in the game and to believe things really can get better quickly enough to matter to my family. 

What is the greatest success you’ve had thus far?

Without question, it is expanding the community around our neighborhood DCPS schools.  So far, it seems our community is not at all divided – it’s just not connected yet.  I’ve seen a lot of the dots connected since I first began chairing the ANC Education Committee and winning the support of so many different parts of the community has been amazing.  Many people understand that public schools have to get better for the community and the city to reach its full potential.  It does not impact only parents.  I consult broadly and the people I talk to totally get that.  Having the school improvement effort supported and recognized by the community is huge.  Just as an example, the Logan Circle Community Association (LCCA) bestowed upon the Garrison PTA President a community service award this year.  This was the first time the LCCA has ever recognized a member of the community for their work with a school.  That was such a proud moment for me. 

How would the youth you work with describe you?

As “Marie’s mom” or “Mikey’s mom”.  Kids are very practical and they literally call you that.  They charge right up to me and ask me to tie their shoes, zip their coats, open their milk, wipe their noses, and read them books, so I think they view me as a resource and a reasonable substitute for a parent/guardian or teacher in a pinch.  They are very young and I don’t work with them directly much per se, but I would like to think that, on some level, they realize that I care about them and that I am trying my best to make sure they get the education they deserve.  

What is the best piece of advice a teacher ever gave you?

I have had some great teachers.  Many of them have been unofficial mentors outside of the formal academic setting.  “Don’t go to Jamba,” was probably the best actual point blank advice I ever received from a mentor.  I was a brash young Senate staffer and I didn’t heed the advice.  It was a great staffdel in a lot of ways, but I probably should not have gone.  I didn’t get all the politics of the trip at the time.  Somewhere there is an absurd photo of me on a Russian army tank. 
9.)  What was your favorite book as a child?
I was an avid reader but I don’t have one favorite book.  This might sound strange but, the two that had an enormous impact on me were Gone With the Wind and The Autobiography of Malcolm X.  I read them in 9th or 10th grade.   Gone With the Wind I read over the summer and I imagined I was one of the few people who read the book before seeing the movie.  My English teacher assigned X after I had posited in a book report on George Washington Carver’s autobiography that perhaps all autobiographies were boring.   She certainly made her point.   The juxtaposition of those two books gave me a lot to process.  I am from rural Tennessee and I guess you have to be from the South to appreciate the pairing. 

What does your future look like?

It looks like work.  My kids are 5 and 3.  My retirement and their college costs are on a collision course.  It is absolutely crystal clear to me that my single most important remaining job in life is to make sure my kids enter adulthood prepared to pursue any opportunity they wish to and are equipped to overcome any challenge they may encounter. 

Why do you think DC matters?

It just does.  It is such an important city to the world.  There is such an extraordinary local to global connection that only a handful of cities can claim – Geneva, Paris, Brussels, London, New York.  The opportunities for enhancing education are truly extraordinary.  DC has great universities.  It is the seat of the federal government of the most powerful country on the planet.  The Smithsonian, the Kennedy Center, art galleries, embassies, the World Bank – the list is endless.  Washington and its surrounding areas are unparalleled in their historical significance.  The “real” Washington – the non-federal, non-diplomatic Washington – the neighborhoods where real people live, work and raise their families each have their own distinct character that reflects and enhances the broader city.  DC is really hitting its stride and I feel fortunate that DC is home to my family at this time in history. 

For better and worse, the world looks to Washington for leadership in so many ways.  I can’t think of anything more fitting and important to this city’s future than for more of its young residents to emerge from their neighborhood schools firmly grounded in their local history – down to the block – and fully prepared to help solve global problems.   Washington is one of the very few places on earth where our children could get a great college and advanced education and engage in the most local or the most global activities that could improve the lives of a handful or millions of people.  They could have it all.  It all starts with a world class education offered in each and every neighborhood school.  We have to start asking, “Where are we on achieving that IN MY SPECIFIC COMMUNITY and how can I help?”