Scarlett Lewis

Last updated
Scarlett Lewis
Born1967or1968(age 55–56) [1]
OccupationFounder Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement
Children2, including JT Lewis

Scarlett Lewis is an American activist, educator, and author who founded the non-profit Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement after her son Jesse was murdered during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. [2]

Contents

Death of Jesse Lewis

On December 14, 2012, Lewis' youngest son Jesse was murdered during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, causing Lewis to become an advocate for Character Social-Emotional Development (CSED) programs. On January 29, 2013, she founded the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement to provide Character Social Emotional Development programs to schools and other organizations free of cost. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Activism

Lewis explained her motivation for founding the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement in a 2018 interview with The Atlantic, saying, “I think the reason that we haven’t been able to solve the school-safety crisis is because we are not thinking in terms of actual solutions. The vast majority of solutions being discussed are not addressing the cause; they’re addressing the effect. The cause of what we’re seeing is anger, disconnection, isolation, lack of resilience, lack of ability to manage emotions.” [12]

Lewis has helped develop and promote her non-profit's programming to be provided for free to parents and educators. Their programs are now taught in over 10,000 schools, in all 50 states and in over 120 countries, serving over 3 million children annually. [13] Lewis has explained that the fundamental basis for their programming spawned from a message Jesse had left on a chalkboard at their home that phonetically spelled out the words of: Nurturing, Healing, Love. [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]

Lewis's non-profit provides programming that can help educators and students "to choose love, handle adversity, and manage their emotions". [19] [20] Their programming is also extended into homes, communities, athletics, and the workplace. [21] Lewis is often asked by press to weigh in on topics of school shootings and their root causes. [22] [23] [24] [25]

Books

Lewis is the author of Nurturing Healing Love: A Mother’s Journey of Hope & Forgiveness, a memoir of her journey toward choosing love and forgiveness; From Sandy Hook to the World: How the Choose Love Movement Transforms Lives, an in-depth explanation at how Lewis founded the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement and its impact around the world today; and Rose’s Foal, a children's book that tells the story of a horse and her newborn foal. [26] [27] [28]

Recognition

Lewis was a 2021 Forbes "50 Over 50 Impact" honoree. [1] [29]

Published works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Jones</span> American radio host and conspiracy theorist (born 1974)

Alexander Emerick Jones is an American far-right, alt-right radio show host and prominent conspiracy theorist. He hosts The Alex Jones Show from Austin, Texas, which the Genesis Communications Network broadcasts across the United States via syndicated and internet radio. Jones's website, InfoWars, promotes conspiracy theories and fake news, as do his other websites, NewsWars and PrisonPlanet. Jones has provided a platform and support for white nationalists, giving Unite the Right rally attendee and white supremacist Nick Fuentes a platform on his website, Banned.Video, as well as giving an "entry point" to their ideology. In 2023, leaked texts from Jones's phone revealed that he created the website National File.

On October 2, 2006, a shooting occurred at the West Nickel Mines School, an Amish one-room schoolhouse in the Old Order Amish community of Nickel Mines, a village in Bart Township, Pennsylvania. Gunman Charles Carl Roberts IV took hostages and shot ten girls, killing five, before committing suicide in the schoolhouse. The emphasis on forgiveness and reconciliation in the Amish community's response was widely discussed by the national media. The West Nickel Mines School was later demolished, and a new one-room schoolhouse, the New Hope School, was built at another location.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everytown for Gun Safety</span> United States gun control advocacy organization

Everytown for Gun Safety is an American nonprofit organization which advocates for gun control and against gun violence. Everytown was formed in 2013 due to a merger between Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

<i>Amish Grace</i> 2010 Television Film

Amish Grace is a television film that premiered on the Lifetime Movie Network on Palm Sunday, March 28, 2010. The film is based on the 2006 West Nickel Mines School shooting at Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, and the spirit of forgiveness the Amish community demonstrated in its aftermath.

The Power of Forgiveness is a 2008 documentary by Martin Doblmeier about the process of forgiveness. It features interviews with renowned Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, best-selling authors Thomas Moore and Marianne Williamson and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting</span> 2012 mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, US

The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a mass shooting that occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, United States, when 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people. Twenty of the victims were children between six and seven years old, and the other six were adult staff members. Earlier that day, before driving to the school, Lanza fatally shot his mother at their Newtown home. As first responders arrived at the school, Lanza died by suicide, shooting himself in the head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newtown Public Schools</span> Newtown, CT Public School System

Newtown Public Schools is a school district in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of 2013 it contained seven schools, with a total enrollment of 5298, an increase of 1663 since 1994. It comprises 2.64% of Fairfield County. Teachers in the school district are paid more than average for the area, which has in the past led to complaints from neighboring districts of staff being poached from them.

Jesse Lewis may refer to:

The December 14, 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting—in which a gunman shot and killed his mother at home, 20 students, 6 teachers, then himself—received international attention. Governments and world leaders offered their condolences, while tributes and vigils by people were made in honor of the victims. U.S. President Barack Obama gave a televised address on the day of the shootings, saying, "We're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics." Obama paused twice during the address to compose himself and wipe away tears, and expressed "enormous sympathy for families that are affected". He also ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and other U.S. federal government facilities worldwide in respect for the victims. Three days after the massacre, 151,000 Americans had signed up at the Obama administration's We the People petitioning website in support of a renewed national debate on gun control. Obama attended and spoke at an interfaith vigil on December 16 in Newtown, Connecticut.

The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut. The perpetrator, Adam Lanza, fatally shot his mother before murdering 20 students and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and later committed suicide. A number of fringe figures have promoted conspiracy theories that doubt or dispute what occurred at Sandy Hook. Various conspiracy theorists have claimed, for example, that the massacre was actually orchestrated by the U.S. government as part of an elaborate plot to promote stricter gun control laws.

Ben's Bells is a Tucson, Arizona-originated program that aims to promote kindness throughout the local community and world through the creation and distribution of handmade bells. Its mission is to “inspire, educate, and motivate people to realize the impact of intentional kindness, and to empower individuals to act according to that awareness, thereby strengthening ourselves, our relationships, and our communities”. Ben's Bells was founded in 2003 by Jeannette Maré after the death of her three-year-old son and has grown to become a worldwide coping mechanism for the expression of love and support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sue Klebold</span> American author and activist (born 1949)

Susan Francis Klebold is an American activist and author whose son, American mass murderer Dylan Klebold, was one of the perpetrators of the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. After the massacre, she wrote A Mother's Reckoning, a book about the signs and possible motives she missed of Dylan's mental state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Pozner</span> Father of a Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victim and target of online hate speech

Leonard Pozner is the father of a Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victim, Noah Pozner. He is the founder of the HONR Network, which supports the victims of mass casualty violence as well as the targets of online hate speech and harassment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JT Lewis</span> American school safety advocate

Joseph Theodore Lewis is an American school safety advocate. Lewis started Newtown Helps Rwanda, a charity that raised money for survivors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide as well as former child soldiers in Uganda. He previously was a candidate in the 2020 elections for Connecticut state senator for the 28th district, dropping out before the August primaries to work on a national campaign. He is the older brother of first grade student Jesse Lewis, a victim of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

The Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in the United States that provides free Character Social Emotional Development (CSED) programs. Choose Love programming is being taught in over 10,000 schools, in all 50 states and over 120 countries, serving over 3 million children globally. This is the only organization that offers free lifespan Character Social Emotional Development programming, with consistent messaging for parents and caregivers as well as for communities and businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robb Elementary School shooting</span> 2022 mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, US

The Robb Elementary School shooting was a mass shooting that occurred on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas, United States, when 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, a former student at the school, fatally shot 19 students and two teachers, while 17 others were injured but survived. After shooting and severely wounding his grandmother at their home earlier that day, Ramos drove to and entered the school, remaining in an adjoining classroom for more than an hour before members of the United States Border Patrol Tactical Unit fatally shot him after he had bypassed numerous local and state officers who had been in the school's hallways for over an hour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke and Alex Safety Act</span> School safety bill in the 117th Congress

The Luke and Alex School Safety Act of 2021 is a United States bill introduced in the 117th Congress on 28 January 2021 by Republican Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) and co-sponsored by Senators Marco Rubio, Rick Scott, James Risch, and Chuck Grassley, as a measure to improve school safety and help prevent mass shootings. The corresponding House bill is H.R.750, introduced 3 February 2021 by representative Mario Díaz-Balart.

<i>Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy</i> Nonfiction book by Elizabeth Williamson

Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth is a nonfiction book written by journalist Elizabeth Williamson and published in 2022 by Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy Hook Memorial</span> Memorial in Connecticut for the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims

The Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial is a memorial in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, that honors the twenty children and six educators who were victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on the morning of December 14, 2012. The memorial is located at 28 Riverside Road in the woods adjacent to the new Sandy Hook Elementary School, built near the site of the original school that was razed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy Hook Promise</span> Gun Violence Prevention organization

Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which was established in the aftermath of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2013 in order to work for gun violence prevention programs and policy making. The main mission of Sandy Hook Promise is to educate and empower youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes and communities.

References

  1. 1 2 Voytko, Lisette. "How Scarlett Lewis And Mothers Of Mass Shooting Victims Turn Their Anguish Into Action—And Save Lives". Forbes.
  2. ↑ "Sandy Hook Mother, and BU Alum: Guns Are Not the Root Cause of Mass Shootings". Boston University.
  3. ↑ Lewis, Scarlett (December 13, 2021). "How many more kids will we allow to be murdered before we start making real change?".
  4. ↑ Freytas-Tamura, Kimiko de; Marcius, Chelsia Rose; Fadulu, Lola (May 25, 2022). "Parents Face a Haunting Question: Is Any Schoolchild Safe?". The New York Times– via NYTimes.com.
  5. ↑ "9 years later: News 8 spends the day with mother of Sandy Hook victim, gets a look at what she's doing in son's memory". December 14, 2021.
  6. ↑ "'I still cry every day' | Mother of Sandy Hook victim reflects on eve of 9th anniversary of tragedy". fox61.com. December 13, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Mother of Sandy Hook victim made it her mission to be part of the solution". December 14, 2021.
  8. ↑ Baker, KC (December 31, 2021). "Rolling with Life's Ups and Downs Can Prevent Bullying and School Shootings, Says Sandy Hook Mom". people.com.
  9. ↑ Bittner, Jamie. "Preventing the next school tragedy with programs to combat mental health issues". graydc.com.
  10. ↑ "Mom of Sandy Hook Victim: Here's What We Need to Prevent Violence".
  11. ↑ "From Tragedy to Hope". STRIVE Magazine. January 27, 2020.
  12. ↑ Fattal, Isabel (March 24, 2018). "My Life Since the 2012 Sandy Hook Shooting: Scarlett Lewis's Story". The Atlantic.
  13. ↑ "Commentary: 5 Years After Sandy Hook, There's a Powerful Movement Building". Fortune.
  14. ↑ "Mother of Six-Year-Old Sandy Hook Victim: "I Forgive Alex Jones" for Claiming Massacre Was a Hoax". Boston University.
  15. ↑ Lewis, Scarlett (May 28, 2022). "OPINION: Mom who lost her son in Sandy Hook says answer to this senseless violence lies in our classrooms". The Hechinger Report.
  16. ↑ Scillian, Devin (December 12, 2021). "Flashpoint Interview: Mother of Sandy Hook victim talks path forward after school shootings". WDIV.
  17. ↑ "Be Part of the Solution: Interview with Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement Founder Scarlett Lewis — Adam Mendler in the Media". Adam Mendler.
  18. ↑ "Newtown neighbors say Texas shooting hits close to home". fox61.com. May 25, 2022.
  19. ↑ Crompton, Jennifer (May 25, 2022). "Mother of Sandy Hook shooting victim calls such tragedies preventable". WMUR.
  20. ↑ Clement, Douglas P. (November 19, 2021). "Sandy Hook's Scarlett Lewis on spreading healing with her nonprofit org Choose Love". CT Insider.
  21. ↑ "Mom honoring Sandy Hook victim's legacy through 'Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement'". June 3, 2021.
  22. ↑ Williamson, Elizabeth (June 2, 2022). "The Lessons of Newtown for the Future of Uvalde". The Atlantic.
  23. ↑ Snodgrass, Erin. "Parents of school shooting victims to Uvalde: 'You don't think that you're going to survive, but you do survive'". Insider.
  24. ↑ "Board of Directors | Character.org".
  25. ↑ "The shooting in Uvalde conjures memories of Sandy Hook school shooting". WAMC. May 24, 2022.
  26. ↑ "Sandy Hook mother works to help kids and prevent violence with emotional education effort" – via www.cbsnews.com.
  27. ↑ "Shared lessons from mass shootings". Christian Science Monitor. May 27, 2022.
  28. ↑ "Scarlett Lewis is Teaching Us All to Choose Love". Jejune Magazine.
  29. ↑ "Scarlett Lewis". Forbes.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.