A shared testament for many in the African American community is a feeling of having to grow up way too soon in the journey from adolescence to adulthood. For Black men specifically, an age-old statistic even made us believe that many of our brothers wouldn’t see it past the age of 25.
The mysterious death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells this past summer has unfortunately gave truth to the latter yet again. However, his mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, is now fighting to assure his youth isn’t stripped away any further by those who refer to her late teenage son as a “man.”
RELATED: Nolan Wells: Grand Jury Finds No Criminal Wrongdoing In Teen’s Death
“How we talk about our children matters,” wrote Attorney Ben Crump as he shared Christine’s statement made to NBC (seen above), also adding, “Nolan Wells deserves to be remembered as he was.” The clip shows correspondent Yasmine Vossoughian speaking with both parents and Crump, who took on the task of representing the family, in a recent interview following the grand jury’s decision not to bring criminal charges in Nolan’s death. As Vossoughian began to give her perception of Nolan as a “really kind man,” his mom interrupted by asserting, “Let’s not call him a man because [at] 18 you’re still a teenager.” She continued to make her point by stating, “I know by law you’re [considered] an adult, [but] Nolan was—he was a boy. He was a child. He was our child.”
Actress Holly Robinson Peete was one of the many who voiced their approval of her demand, herself writing in the comments section, “You gon learn today! They are always trying to adult our babies- they did that to Trayvon and Tamir.” There were many who, purposefully or not, referred to 17-year-old Trayvon Martin as a “man” in reporting on his 2012 murder at the hands of George Zimmerman. The 2014 shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice at the hands of Cleveland police proves her point even more, as the 911 caller referring to him as a “man” played a pivotal role in how he was treated that night.
As Christine tearfully put it, “For everyone watching, please stop referring to him as a man because he was a teenager. He was 18 when he left this earth.”
Does she make a valid point?
Keep scrolling to see how social media reacted to the viral conversation on ‘boy vs man’:
1. This sh!t pissing me off! 😒 That b!tch called him a fvcking man but they call his friends boys and young men GTFOH Justice for Nolan Wells!
via @Neekohlll
