The nurse from San Quentin shows America that she has talent

Simon worked at San Quentin for a total of 19 years. Around the time she was hired, a colleague learned of her vocal abilities and asked her to sing during a “Peace Day” event in the prison yard.

“I didn't know much about politics at the time,” says Simon, speaking of the makeup of the groups that sat together in the courtyard during the event. Nevertheless, she walked on stage and grabbed the microphone. “I started singing 'Killing Me Softly,'” says Simon, referring to The Fugees' 1996 remake of the classic Roberta Flack album.

As Simon got to the second verse, the different groups in the audience began to fight each other. As the incident escalated, she quickly transformed from singer to trained nurse: “I had to get off the stage and sort the patients by urgency.”

Simon never sang in prison again – until earlier this year, shortly after the victory Amateur night at the ApolloThis time, her appearance met with a much calmer reaction.

Simon has witnessed significant changes in the prison over the past two decades.

In 2006, shortly after their closure, the health situation in California's overcrowded prison system was so dire that it was placed under state receivership. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic posed an even greater threat to residents of the state's prisons, particularly at San Quentin.

“It was scary,” Simon says, recalling the pandemic. In addition to overcrowding, the prison suffered from a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers. Inmates were also being transferred to San Quentin from other facilities. “These guys came in with COVID,” Simon says, “and when they got here, everything went through the roof.”