Scarlett Lewis

Scarlett Lewis
Lewis presenting in 2016
Born1967 or 1968 (age 56–57)[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]

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

  • Rose’s Foal (BookSurge, 2009)
  • Nurturing Healing Love: A Mother’s Journey of Hope and Forgiveness (Hay House, 2014)
  • From Sandy Hook to the World: How the Choose Love Movement Transforms Lives: Stories from Around the Globe (Independent, 2021)

References

  1. ^ a b 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.