About Us

At Represent Just Us LLC, our story began with overcoming the many barriers and inequities rooted in systemic racism. Our Founder, Tarra Simmons, spent three decades cycling through the foster care, juvenile justice, jail and prison systems in California and Washington. She is of mixed-race Latina descent and grew up in extreme poverty surviving violence of all forms before having her first son at 15. When she left prison in 2013, the barriers seemed insurmountable. Her tenacity led her to law school to learn the way out of a complex web of barriers that impacted her housing, employment, family and personal lives. Although she graduated magna cum laude from Seattle University Law School, she was initially denied the ability to take the bar exam due to her past conviction history. It was national news when she took her case to the Washington State Supreme Court and won in a unanimous, same-day decision. 

During her time in law school and throughout her Skadden fellowship after law school she was building the nonprofit she co-founded, the Civil Survival Project. She grew it from a grassroots group of formerly incarcerated people learning how to become civically engaged to a sustainably funded policy reform and legal services nonprofit centering the lived experiences of her community at every turn. She was also elected as the first known State Representative who served time in prison in 2020. Since then, she has helped several other formerly incarcerated people run for office.

Her passion to continue supporting others in their leadership and nonprofit development journey led to the creation of Represent Just Us, LLC. This work is a personal responsibility for our Founder as a national leader in the civil rights movement of our time.  Her goal is to build collective leadership and build the power necessary to uproot structural and systemic racism once and for all.

In her personal life, she enjoys traveling, gardening, physical fitness and spending time with her sons: Devon (Niua), Dominic (Nicole), and grandson Nickolas.

We offer a variety of services at Represent Just Us, LLC, which are highlighted in our menu of services. Our team is made up of experts in each of these areas, and we work together to provide our clients with comprehensive solutions that meet their unique needs.

At Represent Just Us, LLC, we believe that collaboration is key to success. We work closely with our clients to understand their challenges and goals, and develop solutions that are tailored to their unique needs. Our approach is transparent, results-driven, and designed to get results.