Leshia Evans: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Leshia Evans, a 28-year-old mother from New York, is the stoic and strong woman featured in a Baton Rouge protest photo that many – especially on social media – are already hailing as iconic. The BBC calls it legendary.

In the photo, Evans stands erect in a flowing black-and-white sundress and stares down two heavily armored police officers. The picture was taken in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Saturday, July 9, where Evans had joined a protest in the death of Alton Sterling, a Baton Rouge man who was shot to death by police officers outside a convenience store.

Sterling’s shooting was captured on cell phone video, and has led to protests throughout the nation; police say his death, along with that of Philando Castile in Minnesota, helped motivate the Dallas police shooter. The Baton Rouge protests were among many in American cities in the past week.

Social media has erupted in praise for Evans, and she’s quickly becoming a symbol of resistance; Evans is being called the representation of beauty and defiance on Twitter. People praise her “ethereal dignity” in the photo. They say “This stunning photo will live forever.”

Who is this young 28-year-old mother who has already become a symbol?

Here’s what you need to know:

1. She’s a Mother & Nurse Who is From New York

Leshia Evans. (Facebook/Leshia Evans.)

According to the UK Daily Mail, a friend of Evans’ named Natasha Haynes said the young mother had traveled to Baton Rouge to protest the shooting of Alton Sterling because she “wanted a better future for her five-year-old son.”

Haynes told the Daily Mail that Evans was “overcome with emotion” when she watched the protests on TV. On her Facebook page, Evans says she is a “LPN and proud,” – licensed practical nurse.

“She left her son behind with his father in New York and traveled to the protest site,” Daily Mail quoted Haynes as saying.

A photo on Leshia’s Facebook page. (Facebook/Leshia Evans)

Evans’ Instagram profile, which she has privatized, says: “Not enough space in this bio for my awesomeness 💋🇹🇹♍️🇯🇲.” On Facebook, she’s posted photos of Martin Luther King Jr. and a crying Statue of Liberty.

Leshia has since asked her friends on social media to not talk to the news media, writing, “To all of my friends and acquaintances please don’t do any interviews about me. If they want my story, I am here. I would like the opportunity to represent myself! Thank you. Peace, love, blk power! ‪#‎blacklivesmatter‬.”

2. She Was Arrested in the Protest & Spent Hours in Jail

Leshia Evans. (Facebook/Leshia Evans)

According to the BBC, the photo was taken outside the headquarters of the Baton Rouge Police Department. Reuters said Evans had been detained, although at first the news service did not have her name, BBC said.

Evans was arrested by police when she refused to move off the highway, BBC said, quoting the Associated Press.

On Facebook, she thanked people for the well wishes and wrote: “I just need you people to know. I appreciate the well wishes and love, but this is the work of God. I am a vessel! Glory to the most high! I’m glad I’m alive and safe. And that there were no casualties that I have witnessed first hand.”

Evans was arrested in the same protest as DeRay Mckesson, whom The New York Times calls “one of the best known voices for the Black Lives Matter movement.” The Times says Mckesson spent 16 hours in jail in Baton Rouge before he was released on Sunday.

3. A Photographer from New Orleans Took The Picture

The BBC says the photo was snapped by “Jonathan Bachman, a New Orleans-based photographer who has been working for Reuters in the past few days.” The photo started to go viral when it was shared by Shaun King, a New York Daily News reporter, on Facebook.

Another photographer captured the same scene from a slightly different angle (see above photo). The BBC says the second angle was taken by Associated Press photographer Max Becherer.

4. The Photo is Being Compared to Iconic Photos of Resistance

Leshia Evans. (Facebook/Leshia Evans).

On Twitter, they’re comparing the photo to Kent State. And Tiananmen Square.

“She floats. Shines. She is Serenity,” said one Twitter admirer.

On social media, many people wrote that Leshia Evans had become an iconic symbol of the protest movement. Some just wrote that they had a “crush” on her.

5. More than 100 People Were Arrested in the Protest & Police Blamed ‘Out-of-Towners’

Leshia Evans. (Facebook/Leshia Evans)

The Advocate newspaper says that Baton Rouge police “are saying out-of-town protestors are causing some demonstrations here to become more violent.” The Advocate reported that eight guns were seized and “an officer had his teeth knocked out.”

The Advocate quoted police in saying that 102 people were arrested and booked in connection with the protests, mostly for obstructing the highway.

Jessica McBride is a Heavy contributor. She was a crime, government, and breaking news reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and reporter for the Waukesha Freeman newspaper. Her award-winning work has appeared in numerous magazine, newspaper, and online publications. She has also appeared as a crime reporter on Investigation Discovery Channel, History Channel, and Oxygen Channel. She can be reached by email at jessica.mcbride@heavy.com.
July 11, 2016 4:53 am