Less than two months after the tragic death of Tyre Nichols, his photography is on display at Saint George’s Episcopal Church in Germantown, Tennessee.
The church’s rector, Dorothy Wells, has a daughter the same age as Nichols. She followed his story closely and saw photographs that he had taken and posted on social media.
As a tribute to his life, Wells had the photographs printed and framed. They’re on display just outside the church’s sanctuary. After the exhibit closes, she plans to send the prints to Nichols’ family.
Photography: Seeing the World Through ‘The Eyes of the Photographer’
“I thought that a good way to honor him and to honor his memory was to be able to see the world through the eyes of the photographer,” Wells shared.
A local news station covered the exhibit and the beautiful intentions behind its display.
Wells reflected on her favorite images—especially of bridges. She said, “Perhaps that’s an image to help remember him by. That we are in a fractured community, and we need bridges to understanding, peace, justice and compassion. That seemed like a very good image to describe that.”
The church’s congregants have viewed and appreciated the works of art. But the display has reached much further than the church’s walls. Visitors have traveled great distances to see the photographs.
“Very real passions and very real goals. He is a very good photographer,” Wells offered. “To be able to see him as a human being and not just a victim of what happened that evening, I thought was very important, and very important for our worshiping community as well.”
While the exhibit of photographs was scheduled through February, Wells expects to extend the display through part of March.
Tyre Nichols Died Days After Police Beating
Video footage showed Tyre Nichols, a Black man, being beaten by police officers after a traffic stop on Jan. 7 in Memphis.
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said that the murder of Tyre Nichols was a “callous disregard and indifference to the value of human life.”
Five police officers face criminal charges for Nichols’ death. This case is a bit different from other historical cases of police brutality in that many cases involve white officers and Black victims. In the case of Nichols, all five of the officers were also Black.
