Engaged by Freedom Summer materials and encouraged by fellow students, Staughton Lynd, and Vincent Harding, Simmons decided to spend the summer of 1964 volunteering with the Mississippi Freedom project. Spelman administrators informed Simmons' family of this decision, who feared for Simmons' safety in working in an area known for Ku Klux Klan violence. They acted decisively to prevent her from leaving, bringing her home and intercepting correspondence from SNCC. Through covert money transfers from SNCC, Simmons was finally able to travel to Mississippi, much to the dismay of her family. Despite this disapproval, Simmons traveled to Oxford, Ohio for orientation, and then on to Mississippi. In Oxford, Simmons served as project trainer, working with Staughton Lynd in his capacity as orientation director, as well as Vincent Harding.
