• Celebrity
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Black Beauty Awards 2022
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2022 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • Wellness House
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
      • Paint The Polls Black
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Black Beauty Awards 2022
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2022 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • Wellness House
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · News

Finding Purpose After Tragedy: How a Charleston Victim’s Granddaughter is Showing 'Hate Won't Win'

Two weeks after Alana Simmons' grandfather was killed in the Charleston shooting, the 22-year-old began the Hate Won't Win Movement.
Finding Purpose After Tragedy: How a Charleston Victim’s Granddaughter is Showing ‘Hate Won’t Win’
Instagram
By Taylor Lewis · Updated October 27, 2020

On June 17, 2015, Alana Simmons’s life changed forever when 22-year-old Dylann Roof walked into Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church and shot dead nine Black parishioners, including Simmons’s grandfather, the Reverend Daniel L. Simmons. Two weeks after the shooting, the 26-year-old created the Hate Won’t Win Movement, Inc., which challenges individuals to show acts of kindness to people of different backgrounds. By October, she had left her job as a teacher to head the organization full-time. Through the initiative, Simmons hopes to spread love and show the healing power of forgiveness.

ESSENCE: How did the Hate Won’t Win Movement begin?
ALANA SIMMONS:
My siblings and I came up with what was initially a social media challenge in which we asked people to show acts of love to people who are different by using the hashtag #HateWontWin. In June, after our campaign was endorsed by President Obama, we got a large follower base. We began selling T-shirts and donated the proceeds to communities affected by hate crimes, discrimination or bullying. In October, the foundation became my full-time job.

Charleston Tragedy: 6 Things to Know About the Illustrious History of the Emanuel AME Church

How do you plan to implement real change?
I’ve been speaking with various school district officials in South Carolina to ensure that these hate crimes don’t stem from the education system. If the curriculum isn’t focused on more than one culture, it isolates kids and miseducates them on the history and future of our country. Through diversity training programs, we also want to ensure that teachers and administrators are culturally competent.

Any success stories?
We had a teacher from South Carolina’s Dutch Fork Middle School contact us and say she wanted to bring the challenge to the school. The kids came up with service-based activities to do so that they could get to know people outside of their race, religion, social class and neighborhood. After our visit, the kids formed a Hate Won’t Win club, which hosts volunteer events and urges others to take the challenge.

9 Things to Know About Charleston Church Shooting Victim Rev. Clementa Pinckney

What have you learned about forgiveness?
I never think that forgiveness is for the other person. Forgiveness is for you. I didn’t want to give this shooter the power to control the way I think, because that’s exactly what he wanted. Forgiveness isn’t a burden for me; it’s more of an expectation.

How has your grandfather’s death given you new purpose?
I’ve always felt passionately about social equity. I know that my grandfather would be proud of everything that has been going on, and I know he’s looking down on me.

This article originally appeared in the December 2015 issue of ESSENCE magazine.

WANT MORE FROM ESSENCE? Subscribe to our daily newsletter for the latest in hair, beauty, style and celebrity news.

COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now