Tyre Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, was named to TIME's 100 most influential people of 2023 list.
Well's name appeared alongside big names like Michael B. Jordan, King Charles, Doja Cat and Drew Barrymore when the list was released Thursday.
"Losing a child is the worst kind of pain that a parent could know," civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has been retained by the family, wrote in her bio. "But RowVaughn has continued to demonstrate strength and assert her voice to ensure that her son's story is not forgotten."
Nichols died three days after being beaten by officers from the Memphis Police Department at the age of 29, and Wells was out of the public eye in mourning, according to her other children, for about two weeks after Nichols' death.
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"...Wells became a figure of national influence in the face of her life's biggest tragedy — losing her son Tyre Nichols after a beating by Memphis police in January 2023," Crump wrote. "Tyre poignantly cried out for RowVaughn, his loving and caring mother, as he was being brutalized by the officers. That cry shook the conscience of America."
Wells spoke to the public for the first time on Jan. 23, flanked by activists, her attorneys and other public figures. Since then, she has spoken on a number of national news outlets, was invited to attend President Joe Biden's first State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. and was featured on a panel hosted by the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.
"I taught my kids to love people until they give you a reason not to," Wells said in her first public address. "We are going to get justice for Tyre if it's the last breath I take."
Lucas Finton is a news reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.

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