Moderated by Tiffany Cross, the conversation will bring the family's fight for answers before the nation's largest gathering of Black journalists, followed immediately by a press conference for credentialed media.
Atlanta, GA (August 11, 2026) — Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN), will appear at the 2026 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention & Career Fair in Atlanta alongside the parents of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells, and nationally renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump. The conversation will be moderated by journalist Tiffany Cross.
The session will bring the Wells family's search for answers directly before the nation's largest gathering of Black journalists, at a convention themed "Our Revolution: Truth, Power, and Black Journalism." It marks the first time the NABJ Convention has been held in Atlanta since 2005.
Immediately following the plenary conversation, Rev. Sharpton, Attorney Crump, and the parents of Nolan Xavier Wells will hold a press conference for credentialed media.
Rev. Sharpton's appearance closes a program that also features:
Discussion One — U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, moderated by Errin Haines, President, National Association of Black Journalists, with audience Q&A.
Discussion Two — Kimberlé Crenshaw and Nikole Hannah-Jones, moderated by Joy Reid.
Discussion Three — The parents of Nolan Xavier Wells, Attorney Ben Crump, and Rev. Al Sharpton, moderated by Tiffany Cross.
Immediately following the plenary conversation, Rev. Al Sharpton, Attorney Ben Crump, and Elmore Wells and Christine Wells Wonsley will hold a press conference and take questions from credentialed media.
Nolan Xavier Wells, 18, of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was a graduate of Ocean Springs High School and a football player at Southwest Mississippi Community College. On July 4, 2026, he traveled by boat with a group of friends to Horn Island, off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, to celebrate the holiday. He was last seen on the island at approximately 3:00 p.m. and did not return to the mainland with the group. His mother reported him missing that night, and his body was recovered near Horn Island on July 6 following a multi-agency search.
The family retained Attorney Ben Crump, whose team is conducting an independent review and pressing for the release of all records, witness accounts, and investigative findings, as the family continues to seek answers about how Nolan came to be left behind on Horn Island. Rev. Sharpton delivered the eulogy at Nolan's memorial service in Mississippi and has stood with the Wells family since July, as part of NAN's longstanding mission to ensure that the deaths of young Black men receive rigorous, transparent investigation, and that grieving families never have to stand alone in their search for the truth.
Members of the media must be registered with the 2026 NABJ Convention to attend.
National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency, and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, nationality, or gender. For more information, visit www.nationalactionnetwork.net.