Advocate NL 7/8/26

Hello and Happy Wednesday folks, Audience Editor Edgar Ramirez here, back in your inbox.

The case of Nolan Wells has taken social media by storm, and rightfully so, as Jacob Ogles reports: "Amid broad speculation about how the college freshman ended up dead after a boating trip with white peers in the Deep South, activists are asking whether, in the eyes of American justice, Black lives still matter."

Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter quickly said there was no foul play after Nolan's body was found Monday, though the investigation continues; yet for queer people of color, "the dismissal of suspicious deaths is an all too familiar phenomenon," Ogles writes.

RaeShanda Lias, an influential creator whose content breaks down complicated topics, said circumstances around Wells’s death demand further investigation. “We all want answers because I know somebody knows something,” she posted on Instagram after the teen's body was found, but also explained that this is just the latest suspicious death falling into that category.

A study conducted by social justice organization JULIAN and published in March found hundreds of deaths in seven Southern states where authorities quickly ruled there was no foul play, despite evidence suggesting further investigation was warranted. About a third of the victims in that study were transgender women.

Here's to hoping Nolan's family gets the proper closure they seek.

Until next time,
Edgar

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