How a Defiant Pose Became an Iconic #BlackLivesMatter Photograph

Standing calmly in front of a line of police officers, Leshia Evans symbolised what it means to be black in America

Leshia Evans, a demonstrator protesting the shooting death of Alton Sterling is detained by law enforcement near the headquarters of the Baton Rouge Police Department in Louisiana. (Photo: Reuters)

Sometimes, one photograph is capable of encapsulating complex issues in a way words simply can’t. When Jonathan Bachman, a New Orleans-based photographer, was covering protests in Louisiana, he saw an unusual sight.

A young woman calmly standing in front of cluster of law enforcement officials dressed in riot gear, refusing to clear the road and defiantly submitting to her arrest. He quickly shot the moment. And the photograph is now being hailed as a legendary, iconic moment revealing chasms in America’s attitude to racism and police brutality, while simultaneously being a powerful symbol of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ moment.

The woman in the photograph, Leshia Evans, a 28-year old mother, was detained immediately and was released after a night in prison.

She was there, she wasn’t resisting, and she had every intention of not moving. You can take images of plenty of people getting arrested, but I think this one speaks more to the movement and what the demonstrators are trying to accomplish here in Baton Rouge.

Jonathan Bachman, Reuters Photographer 

According to reports, Leshia Evans is a 28-year old practical nurse who was attending her first protest in Baton Rouge where the photograph was clicked. Evans’ stoic grace and refusal to be scared stand in stark contrast to the military gear of the police and is being widely considered to be an act of civil disobedience.

The past week in the United States has been marred by racial violence with casualties in Dallas and the death of Philando Castille.