Families speak out on two Black Americans jailed in China
(WASHINGTON, D.C./Shreveport, La.) — For more than a decade, Nelson Wells Jr. and Dawn Mitchell Hunt have been imprisoned in China under circumstances their families say are unjust. The two African Americans, held in separate facilities, remain largely unreachable, and their loved ones say they have struggled for years to get the U.S. government to act.
“We thought it was a scam at first,” said Nelson Wells Sr., recalling the first phone call from China in 2014. “They told us our son was in trouble, and that they were going to kill him, then hung up.”
The Wells family spent weeks confirming Nelson Jr.’s captivity and attempting to communicate with him. “It felt like the embassy was just a glorified mail carrier,” Wells Sr. said. “We weren’t getting the support we needed.”
A veteran family with a love for travel, the Wells say Nelson Jr.’s arrest stemmed from a visit to China, where he was later convicted of smuggling drugs. According to the “Nelson Wells Jr. and Dawn Mitchell Hunt Unjustly Detained in Communist China Act,” introduced to Congress, Wells Jr. was initially sentenced to life imprisonment, later reduced to 22 years in 2019, leaving him incarcerated until 2041.
In testimony before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China in 2024, Wells Sr. described how his son had traveled to China for a necessary medical procedure. While recovering, he says, Nelson met an acquaintance who asked him to carry bags of gifts to Japan, unaware that they contained drugs. His family maintains there was little evidence supporting his guilt and that he was denied a fair opportunity to defend himself. Separated from his wife and three children, Nelson had almost no meaningful access to due process, and it took months before his parents could confirm what had happened.
Nelson Jr. has faced serious health issues during his detention, including seizures and high blood pressure. His parents describe sleepless nights and endless worry, feeling powerless to protect him.
Similarly, Dawn Mitchell Hunt, 54, has been imprisoned for nearly 12 years after traveling to China for what she believed was a legitimate sweepstakes prize. Her brother, Tim Hunt, said the trip quickly turned into a nightmare. He says her vacation went well, until she was offered additional complimentary tickets to Australia. She arrived at the airport with her luggage, including purses complimentary of the sweepstakes, marking her last memory of freedom.
“She was detained at the airport en route to Australia because the purses she carried were falsely claimed to contain drugs,” Hunt said. “She had no idea and has been in prison ever since. During this time, she has developed medical issues that require on-going treatment, and her communication with us has been extremely limited.”
“African Americans are often targeted overseas.”
Former journalist and consultant Peter Humphrey, who spent two and a half years imprisoned in China, has worked with both families. Humphrey said the Chinese judicial system is designed to crush defendants psychologically and coerce confessions, and he believes race plays a role in how Nelson and Dawn are treated.
“Being a Black prisoner in China is absolutely horrific,” Humphrey said. “The system views Blacks as the lowest on the racial hierarchy. Guards and other prisoners treat them harshly, and the judicial process is rigged. You have no real chance to defend yourself.”
As a former journalist, Humphrey says, at the time of his imprisonment he used his media connections as leverage to tell his story and draw attention to his and his wife’s detainment. He says he felt he became a liability for the prison to keep him, and so won his fight.
Humphrey now advises families with loved ones detained abroad, helping them navigate a complex legal and diplomatic landscape. Both the Wells and Hunt families say getting proper responses from political leaders has taken far longer than it should.
“We formed a team with Peter Humphrey and advocate Joi Chaney,” Wells Sr. said. “Finally, after 11 years, there’s a humanitarian release request in motion. But it shouldn’t have taken this long.”
Advocacy efforts began to bear fruit in 2023, when the Wells family received some support through strategic networking. Tim Hunt stressed the importance of public awareness and policy change.
“We need local and national leaders to support the Nelson Wells Jr. and Dawn Mitchell Hunt Act,” Hunt said. “Call your senator, call your congressman. This is about more than our families… It’s about preventing others from suffering the same fate.”
Joi Chaney, who works with both families, highlighted racial disparities in foreign incarceration. “African Americans are often targeted overseas,” she said. “People need to be careful and know the laws of the countries they visit. Our community must be aware that support is not guaranteed, and advocacy is essential.”
Despite the hurdles, both families continue to fight. “We’re grateful for the angels who have stepped in along the way,” Wells Sr. said, naming friends, advocates, and some members of Congress. “But nothing compares to the toll of knowing your child or sibling is suffering thousands of miles away, with limited communication and no real power to intervene.”
The families have launched websites and social media accounts to keep the public informed and gather support. They emphasize that prayer, awareness and advocacy are critical.
“Please, follow our story, support our efforts, and help ensure this doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Hunt said. “We’ve been in this fight for over 11 years, but with enough voices, maybe we can finally bring Nelson and Dawn home.”
Both families say they are waiting for a response from the Trump administration, hoping they can settle some form of inmate exchange and bring their loved ones home.
For more information, visit www.nelsonwellsjr.com.
Jasmine McBride welcomes reader responses at jmcbride@spokesman-recorder.com.