Scarlett Lewis on Choosing Love After Tragedy

At the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., during the international interfaith conference “United in Liberty: The Rise of Spiritual Diplomats,” led by Pastor Mark Burns, we had the privilege of speaking with Scarlett Lewis — Founder of the Choose Love Movement.

Scarlett Lewis is the mother of Jesse McCord Lewis, who was killed at age six in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14, 2012. In the face of unimaginable loss, she made a courageous decision: to transform pain into purpose.

In 2013, she founded the Choose Love Movement in honor of her son. Today, the organization provides free Character Social Emotional Development (CSED) programs in more than 10,000 schools across all 50 U.S. states and over 120 countries, reaching more than 3 million children worldwide. It is the only organization offering free, lifespan CSED programming with consistent messaging for schools, families, communities, and businesses.

In this deeply moving conversation, Scarlett shares:

• What “spiritual diplomacy” means through courage, truth, and love

• Why choosing love over fear is authentic power

• How faith and civic communities can work together to prioritize children

• Why peace begins with individual choice

• How transforming anger into compassion can change families, communities, and the world

Her message is simple yet profound: we all share pain — but we also share the capacity to heal. Choice is our superpower. When we choose love over fear, we create peace.

This interview is part of a global dialogue uniting faith leaders, policymakers, and civil society to promote healing, human dignity, and spiritual freedom worldwide.

For more information about the conference, visit the official website:

https://interfaithconf.org/

More information on the Spiritual Diplomats initiative:

https://www.spiritualdiplomats.org/

ALLATRA International Public Movement Official Website:

https://allatra.org/

This material is for informational and discussion purposes only. The statements, assessments, interpretations, conclusions, and hypotheses contained herein represent personal views of their authors as of the date of publication and do not constitute an official stance of the ALLATRA international organization or any other public association, organization, project, partner, or affiliated entity or person, unless expressly stated otherwise.
Publication of this material provides an opportunity for open discussion and does not in itself imply institutional endorsement, confirmation, or scientific verification of the views expressed. The material does not constitute an official statement, expert opinion, or professional advice.