RowVaughn Wells (born ) is an American

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

activist and the mother of Tyre Nichols, a man killed by Memphis police officers in January 2023. An advocate for the prevention of

police brutality in the United States Police brutality is the use of excessive or unwarranted force by law enforcement, resulting in physical or psychological harm to a person. It includes beatings, killing, intimidation tactics, racist abuse, and/or torture. Police brutality, rac ...

, Wells influenced the Biden administration in its pursuit of police reform.

Life

Wells was born and is from

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

. She is the mother of Tyre Nichols who was killed by Memphis police officers in January 2023. In the aftermath, she has advocated for the prevention of

. Wells was a major influence on the Biden administration to pursue police reform as a result of

. She praised Memphis police chief, Cerelyn J. Davis for her quick response. In February 2023, Wells and her husband, Rodney Wells visited the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

before attending the State of the Union Address at the invitation of the Congressional Black Caucus. They received a standing ovation from members of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

. Wells joined reverend

Al Sharpton Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. (born October 3, 1954) is an American civil rights and social justice activist, Baptists, Baptist minister, radio talk show host, and TV personality, who is also the founder of the National Action Network civil rig ...

to speak out about the death of her son at the House of Justice in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

in March 2023. In April 2023, she was named to the ''Time'' 100 list of the most influential people in the world for her strength and response to her son's death. In April 2023, Wells' lawyer, Benjamin Crump filed a federal suit against the Memphis Police Department. Wells is married to Ron Wells. She has three children in addition to Nichols.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Rowvaughn Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century African-American women Living people 1960s births African-American activists American women activists Activists from Oakland, California Activists from Memphis, Tennessee American social justice activists