Damario Solomon-Simmons

Damario Solomon-Simmons, Esq., M.Ed., is a national civil rights attorney whose personal journey from adversity to a career in law has shaped his professional mission. Raised in a single-parent household, Solomon-Simmons overcame academic challenges, eventually becoming a University of Oklahoma football letterman, earning a bachelor's degree in African and African-American Studies with honors, and obtaining a master's in adult and higher education. He became the first African American to receive the Joel Jankowsky Award for most outstanding law graduate from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.

Solomon-Simmons serves as managing partner of SolomonSimmonsLaw, an Oklahoma-based firm specializing in civil and human rights, wrongful death, employment discrimination, public policy, and sports law. With a nationwide practice, he has represented clients in federal, state, tribal, and administrative courts. His work includes advocating for reparations for survivors of the 1921 Greenwood Massacre, defending the citizenship rights of Black descendants of Muskogee Creek Nation Freedmen, and managing legal affairs for NFL and Olympic athletes. Solomon-Simmons has also served as lead counsel for the family of Terence Crutcher and for seven rape victims of former Oklahoma City Police Officer Daniel Holtzclaw. His practice spans constitutional rights, wrongful death, and sports law.

A defining aspect of Solomon-Simmons' career is his pursuit of justice for survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. He is co-founder and executive director of the Justice For Greenwood Foundation, which seeks justice and reparations for victims of the massacre through legal strategies, public education, and advocacy. Solomon-Simmons and his team filed a landmark lawsuit on behalf of the survivors, prompting the United States Department of Justice to issue its first report on the massacre. He continues to advocate for public awareness and community justice through the Justice For Greenwood network.

Solomon-Simmons has received honors including the Oklahoma Bar Association's Ada Lois Sipuel-Fisher Diversity Award, the National Bar Association's "40 under 40" designation, and Tulsa People Magazine's Tulsan of the Year award. He was also named to Ozy.com's 25 Rising Stars to Track. In addition to his legal work, Solomon-Simmons is an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma's African and African-American Studies Program. He co-founded the MVP Foundation, which supports eighth grade boys from single-parent households.

Solomon-Simmons is an author and media commentator. His book, "Redeem a Nation: The Century-Long Battle to Restore the Soul of America," documents the legal battle for reparations and the stories of survivors and their descendants. He has appeared in the documentaries "Greenwood Is Still Burning" and "Tulsa: The Fire and the Forgotten." Solomon-Simmons is a frequent guest on CNN, The View, 60 Minutes, MSNBC, ESPN, The New York Times, The Root, and the Roland Martin Show, where he discusses civil rights, reparations, and restorative justice.