07/12/2026
STANDING WITH THE FAMILY OF NOLAN XAVIER WELLS
One week later, and we are still shattered that one of our own is mourning her son; a young man who should have returned home from a day on the lake. NCNW is an organization of Black mothers, aunts, sisters, and loved ones who want our Black children to come home alive.
We stand with the Wells family in mourning the loss of Nolan Xavier Wells: a beloved son, athlete, teammate, and young man whose life was cut far too short. One week ago today, what should have been an ordinary weekend of joy; became a tragedy that swept the nation with grief, uncertainty, and unanswered questions. America, please understand that silence becomes synonymous with negligence and harm when a life has been taken and loved ones are yearning for peace. The family of Nolan Xavier Wells deserve answers.
Before America was ready to believe in Black women, NCNW was created as a safe space rooted in the conviction that Black women and Black children deserve a limitless future. We stand at the intersection of motherhood and advocacy, and we know this: when a Black child is lost under unclear circumstances, our communities cannot assume the system will move with urgency or care on its own. We echo the Wells family’s call for a thorough, transparent, and accountable investigation into what happened to Nolan on Horn Island in Mississippi. Every family deserves nothing less than the entire truth.
Black families deserve the joy of friendship, travel, and celebration regardless of who they’re in the company of. And every Black person deserves to travel knowing that no one is left behind, that care is active rather than assumed, and that safety is prioritized regardless of the color of our skin and the coils of our hair.
NCNW stands with the Wells family in grief, in advocacy, and in the demand for truth.