Ms. Simmons was born and raised in Lufkin, Texas. She grew up in segregated Lufkin and graduated from Dunbar High School. She then became a nurse at Woodland Heights hospital, married, became a mother, and remained civically active. Ms. Simmons described growing up in segregated Lufkin, her experiences in elementary and high school, discrimination she experienced on the job at the hospital, black businesses in Lufkin, a sit-in at Lufkin's Dairy Queen, and her son's experience integrating at Lufkin High School.