CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 22: Elmore Wonsley and Christine Wells-Wonsley, the parents of Nolan Wells, listen as attorney Ben Crump goes over the results of an independent autopsy of Wells during a press conference at the annual NAACP National Convention on July 22, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. Eighteen-year-old Wells was found dead two days after he disappeared during a July 4 boat trip to Horn Island off the coast of Mississippi with a group of high school friends.
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In not-so-distant United States history, Black parents were told by law that our children were not ours and were not human; that we and they were someone else’s property.
Of course, Black parents never accepted this. But the fight to force this nation to recognize our humanity and to recognize that we do not solely exist to perform labor for others has been a defining feature in the experiences of all Black people and Black parents. Our children are not objects that can be manipulated and thrown away.
Read: Being The Only Black Kid Is Still A Huge Liability — And We’re Seeing It Play Out Once Again In The Nolan Wells Case…