Turning pain into purpose: National Civil Rights Museum closes out series addressing racial violence

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The National Civil Rights Museum turned pain into purpose through its final installment of a four-part series about racial violence and finding solutions.

The previous meetings were titled “The Reckoning”, “The Resolve”, and “The Restoration”. Friday is “The Resilience”.

Tyre Nichols’ mother, Rowvaughn Wells, and her husband, Rodney Wells, spoke during the National Civil Rights Museum’s symposium “The Resilience: Combatting Police Violence Through Policy and Public Safety” hosted at the Renasant Convention Center.

The series focused on having tough conversations about what can be improved and finding solutions to keep everyone safe.

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“We’re not saying that they are all bad police officers. Not at all. That’s not the conversation. The conversation is more about how do we work together and collaborate together,” said Veda Ajamu, Chief DEI Programs and Community Engagement Officer with the NCRM.

The Wells were joined on stage by the mothers of Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner as well as the brother of George Floyd.

Organizers say they want the public to hear how these families turned their pain into purpose, hoping to prevent the tragedies they faced from happening to another.

“They’re all advocating for justice. They’re all advocating for some kind of law,” said Ajamu.

The families discussed how advocating for their loved ones thrust them into the political spotlight.

The Wells are currently fighting on Capitol Hill in Nashville to stop a bill that would essentially reverse Memphis’ ban on pretextual traffic stops. They say the move would be a slap in the face.

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“These people are not even paying attention. They’re just sitting there like a bunch of children. Our tax dollars are paying these people’s salaries, and they’re not doing anything for us,” said Wells.

The museum says this symposium offered policy-driven, community-led, and trauma-informed strategies and solutions to combat police violence.

“Whatever laws y’all come up with, whether it’s Democrat or Republican, we just want to feel safe,” said the mother of Trayvon Martin.

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