State Senator Mike Simmons represents the Rogers Park borough

One night in 2020, Illinois State Senator Mike Simmons was preparing dinner when he heard voices on the streets outside his apartment.

Simmons, a lifelong resident of Chicago’s North Side, said she looked out her window and saw North Broadway packed with community members protesting the killing of George Floyd. Simmons said the movement happening, almost literally, in her backyard cemented her decision to advance her career in public service.

“I can’t remember a time in my life where I’ve seen that level of beautiful civil disobedience in our far north neighborhoods, even far from Loyola,” Simmons said. “And that was the spark that really motivated me to run for office.”

When Simmons was first elected in 2021 to represent Illinois State Senate District 7, which includes Rogers Park, Edgewater, Uptown, and Lincoln Square, he made history as the first Black person to serve District 7, the first openly gay member of the Illinois Senate, the first Ethiopian American to serve in the Illinois Legislature, and the third out Black and gay state senator in the country.

Simmons said he feels these aspects of his identity not only qualify him to represent the district but allow him the unique opportunity to promote policies that reflect the diversity, intersectionality and lived experiences of people on Chicago’s North Side.

Since her election, Simmons has passed laws that expand accessibility to sexual health care, protect patients from unnecessary medical bills, and require caregivers to provide culturally competent hair care to children in foster care.

“Growing up in Lincoln Square, in a fairly diverse, working-class community with a lot of immigrants, you know, a lot of people who were first-generation Americans, really taught me a deep appreciation for people and differences,” Simmons said.

Simmons said this appreciation for diversity and community came to him from his mother, Ramona Rouse, a Chicago native who opened Salon Pastiche at 1228 W. Loyola Ave., where Archie’s Cafe was located. Simmons said he was exposed to a wide range of people from different backgrounds thanks to the salon, which Rouse ran for 25 years while raising Simmons and his sister.

Although his mother was never a “political woman,” Simmons said she inspired him to pursue public service and give back to the community. He made the decision to run for state senator after her untimely death in January 2020 and said he is now honored to be able to speak forcefully about displacement and gentrification as the son of a beloved woman in the community.

Her personal connection to 1234 W. Loyola Ave., as well as her advocacy against gentrification, have inspired Simmons’ outspokenness against Loyola’s plans to demolish the building, The Phoenix previously reported.

“Loyola has the opportunity to help a new generation be reborn and be able to live the same experiences that my family lived through,” Simmons said. “And I’ve been really, I don’t know, everything from heartbroken to perplexed to, now, angry that they don’t seem to understand that.”

Simmons said she hopes the outpouring of community support for the building will empower students to get mobilized and become more active in local politics and the neighborhood at large.

“A lot of students get it,” Simmons said. “A lot of people in Rogers Park and Edgewater and even Uptown, people all over the North Side are paying attention to this because this is how we lose our communities. This is how communities change.”

Gabby Tewodros, a Rogers Park native who graduated from Loyola University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and government in December 2023, has worked as part of Simmons’ team. She now works as Simmons’ operations and outreach coordinator, which she said allows her to do a combination of social work, outreach and hospitality in the district.

“I’ve been fortunate to know this area, Edgewater and the district I now work in, for my entire life,” Tewodros said. “I’m very proud of all of that.”

Tewodros said he first heard about Simmons while a student at Loyola and was intrigued by his progressive politics as well as their shared heritage. Twodros, like Simmons, is descended from Ethiopian immigrants.

In August 2023, Tewodros attended Simmons’ annual back-to-school event, where her office provides free food, school supplies and entertainment for North Side families. Tewodros said the owner of Ethiopian Diamond, which catered the event, invited her to the event.

Laughing sheepishly at the memory, Tewodros recalled mistakenly thinking the event was a formal “gala,” prompting her to show up at Sullivan High School in a fancy outfit.

“When I realized it wasn’t a gala, it was a back-to-school event, I volunteered to help out in any way I could,” Tewodros said. “I took off my jacket, rolled up my sleeves, and handed out food and tried to answer questions.”

Following the event, Tewodros became a paid intern in Simmons’ office in the fall of 2023 before being promoted to her full-time position in January. She said serving the community has been a humbling experience, as many constituents turn to her office for help accessing housing and health care.

Simmons and Tewodros said their commitment to advocating for disadvantaged members of the community comes from their own life experiences as community members.

Rogers Park native and District 2 School Board candidate Ebony DeBerry said she helped Simmons in the 2020 campaign because of these lived experiences. After meeting Simmons and learning about her personal story, she said she had her full support.

In addition to supporting local representation, DeBerry said she encourages others to give back to the community and fight for those who are marginalized and create a culture of altruism and safety throughout Rogers Park.

“Just mind your own garden, right?” DeBerry said. “Like, who’s going to do it if we don’t? How are the next generation going to be influenced to do it if they don’t see us doing it?”

Simmons echoed this emphasis on community engagement and support, especially from passionate members of Gen Z who have the time, energy and resources to advocate for their interests.

“I feel so many things, even as a state senator, that I want to speak out and fight the power,” Simmons said. “And I think if young people don’t do it, no one will.”