Alana Simmons, who received her Master of Arts degree from NSU in 2013, established the Hate Won’t Win Movement along with her siblings.

Their grandfather, the Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr., was murdered during Bible Study at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. A 20-year-old white man, Dylan Roof, whom the members of the weekly Wednesday night Bible class welcomed, killed Simmons and eight others. Although still numb and stunned from what had taken place, Simmons and her family were able to find a way to transform what was a horrific act of hate into an outpouring of love.

The Hate Won’t Win Movement was born from three words Simmons spoke to Roof at his June 19 bond hearing — just two days after the killings. Those words were put in her heart by the outpouring of love she and the families felt the moment the Charleston community heard of the tragedy.

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