Dear Charlottesville,

HATE WON’T WIN. Two years ago, my grandfather was murdered at a bible study in a Charleston church basement when a white supremacist, who believed that African Americans are somehow undeserving of life, opened fired on an entire room of people during prayer. This man killed, in addition to my grandfather, eight other churchgoers who invited him in to learn about God in an act of hate and fear. But I didn’t give him the power to control my grandfather’s legacy, shake my faith, or make me hate him back. I was able to look at him and told him that although my family member died at the hands of hate, he lived in love, he preached love, and his legacy will be love so HATE WON’T WIN.

It amazes me how people can posses a physical heart that is empty of anything we associate with a symbolic heart. Things like love, compassion, and courtesy are absent from the hearts and minds of the neo-nazi, the white supremacist, and the so-called alt-right—and all their followers, in Charlottesville and beyond. People all around us are revealing their true character by either joining them, defending their actions, or even worse, saying absolutely nothing in the name of what is right. Yes they’re evil, yes they’re wrong, and no, they’re not alone. But as grim as it looks, HATE WON’T WIN.

I know this, because I’ve lived it. And I beat it. With God leading me, my family beside me, and a community of people behind me, I resisted the temptation to let their anger, fear, and ignorance penetrate my spirit because that would be exactly what they want. They want to see us disoriented, weak with pain, and drunk with anger. But I’m asking you to resist that temptation and be stronger, be greater, be the embodiment of love in the face of hate so they too will know that HATE WON’T WIN.

The author, Alana Simmons, and her late grandfather, Rev. Daniel Lee Simmons Sr.

So, you’re wondering: where do we go from here? Who do we turn to? Well, my call to action is simple and derived from the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who once said “We are ALL superbly equipped to do this. We have known the agony of being the underdog. We must have a passion for peace born out of the wretchedness and misery of war. Giving our ultimate allegiance to the empire of justice.”

All that means to me is that whoever you are and whatever you do, you can help cure this great nation of the hate that has plagued us for so long.

If you’re in education, teach your students to be culturally competent. If you have a family, expose them to other cultures in an intentional and appreciative manner. If you’re in religion, teach and preach all the principles of love and hold your congregations accountable. If you’re in politics, use a moral code to lead and govern. Represent all the people you serve, not just the few you identify with. If you’re in media, use the power of your platform to inspire. If you have a heart, honor the lives of those we’ve lost and unify so HATE WON’T WIN.

When I lost my grandfather I took those words—hate won’t win—and turned them into a call to action. I challenged the world to find someone, extend an act of love across cultural lines, post it to their social media pages, inspire someone else to do the same, and repeat. The spirit of love, reconciliation, truth, grace, and humility filled our nation and it was the witness of that experience changing people who looked, worshiped, and valued differently that ensured me that HATE WON’T WIN.

My thoughts, prayers, and actions are with you.

Sincerely,
Alana Simmons
Founder and CEO of Hate Won’t Win Movement, Inc.

*Hate Won’t Win is a non-profit organizations whose sole purpose is to advocate for unity through demonstrations of love. You can follow them on on Facebook @hatewontwinmovement.

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