black woman from iconic picture is not here for whitewashing: “i’d like to be remembered as a revolutionary”

Once again, a black protest figure has had to suffer through the age-old liberal tradition of white-washing black activism. The protestor is Ieshia Evans, the black woman at the center of the iconic image of police in riot gear descending upon her as she stood unarmed and stoic on the streets of Baton Rouge two years ago.

Beautiful! Personally, this would be my nomination for the "Iwo Jima" sculpture of the civil rights movement: pic.twitter.com/IA9Aoz6SYn

— chaosmind (@chaosmind) August 18, 2017

Alton Sterling was shot at close range by two white Baton Rouge police officers and the subsequent outrage had people taking to the streets while police responded by showing up in full riot gear because the apparently upset black masses are a bigger danger than a white boy with a semi-automatic weapon. But I digress…

The photo of Evans – taken exactly two years year ago today – garnered national and international acclaim, thrusting her into the public sphere and endowing her with a reputation that many would be surprised to know does not fully align with her views on activism.

“I’m not against protesting peacefully, and I’m not pro-violence, but I’m definitely in favor of defending yourself. When people hear the way I speak, they’re usually like, ‘uhh, this is not what I thought. We thought you were just about peace and holding hands!’” Evans told Huffington Post.

Evans has spoken up against Trump while also critiquing what Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have actually done for the black community. Her views on resistance are inclusive in strategy but Evans has been misrepresented regarding her views on how to face the policing of black bodies.

In the age of “hashtag activism” Evans is aware of that some methods are more worthwhile than others and would like to see more whistleblowing as well as an effort to uncover the truth about what is truly going on under this administration.
Evans is also aware that she might go down in history as a peaceful protester but she has other hopes for her memory. She said: “I’d like to be remembered as a revolutionary.”