Hundreds of students at two universities held rallies and vigils this week for Nolan Wells, the 18-year-old found dead on Horn Island, Mississippi, on July 6, calling for his case to be reopened.
On Wednesday, October 21, students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign held a rally and vigil for Wells. Organized by Black Students for Revolution and Students for Socialism, with groups including the campus chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists and the Black Association of Psychology Students, participants spoke in front of Foellinger Auditorium, marched around the Main Quadrangle, and ended at the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center, where the vigil included speeches, a moment of silence, and an opportunity to write messages to Wells. Attendees held signs and chanted for the case to be reopened, and organizers demanded that the Department of Justice reopen the investigation into his death.
A day later, on Thursday, October 22, students at Rider University in New Jersey held a "Walk for Wells" protest on the campus green. Hosted by Rider's collegiate chapter of the NAACP, the event began at 5:21 p.m. with a welcome from chapter president E'miija Eccles, followed by speeches, including from Reggie Walker, director of the Educational Opportunity Program, and Naa'san S.J. Carr, the chapter's inaugural president and founding member. The walk around Centennial Lake began at 5:37 p.m., with protesters carrying signs reading "Nolan didn't drown" and "Protect black children" and chanting "No justice, no peace" and "Say his name."
"We gather because remembrance matters, but so does the pursuit of truth and repair," Carr said. "We gather because advocacy matters, but so does accountability. And we gather because when something happens to one of us, it happens to all of us." Eccles said she organized the event to raise awareness of the case on campus and to show students standing against injustice in their systems.
Wells disappeared on July 4 after traveling to Horn Island with friends, and his body was found two days later. The Mississippi State Medical Examiner listed the cause and manner of death as undetermined. In September, a Mississippi grand jury declined to bring charges, finding no evidence of criminal conduct and concluding Wells had drowned. Wells' family, represented by civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, has continued to seek a federal investigation, and the student actions this week are part of a nationwide wave of protests pressing for answers in the case.
Sources: The Rider News report on the Rider walk, and the Let's Address Illinois report on the University of Illinois rally and vigil.
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