A photo of an unnamed protester at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has become a powerful image of the ongoing struggle between law enforcement and black Americans. More than 100 people were arrested during a protest outside the city’s police headquarters on Saturday following the death of Alton Sterling, who was shot and killed by police outside a convenience store last week. At least three journalists were arrested, as was prominent Black Lives Matter activist DeRay McKesson. The woman in the image above, which was taken by Reuters photographer Jonathan Bachman, was among those arrested for refusing to leave an area highway. Emblematic of Tiananmen Square’s infamous and unknown “Tank Man,” neither Reuters or the Associated Press were able to identify the woman, who was later detained.
It’s easy to get lost in words sometimes, the Sturm und Drang following an emotional series of events. People invested in claiming the narrative as their own, those who feel they have something to say, and/or those merely trying to understand what’s happening often contribute to a veritable blizzard of words that eventually dissolves into so much white noise. (Yes, I’ll own up to my part in that process.)
Words, as powerful as the can be in the right hands, have some pretty specific limitations. Sometimes it requires someone will to take action, even to point of placing themselves in considerable physical peril. Sometimes it takes someone with a camera, who happens to be in the right place at the right time, to document that selfless moment of imperiling oneself in the service of a Greater Good.
Granted, the woman in the photo above wasn’t standing in front of a line of tanks a la the anonymous hero of Tiananmen Square, but to plant oneself in a street in front of a line of heavily armored police officers was an act of considerable courage. The good news is she was unharmed and released from jail later that same evening.
I don’t know about you, but to me the photo is a metaphor for everything wrong with how we relate to one another today. Would a similar gathering by White protesters have been met with an equivalent response? Perhaps, but it’s difficult to imagine.
The good news is that the fascination with this photo has caused people to start talking about it. Perhaps this conversation will lead to a better, deeper understanding on both sides of the fence. Right now we’re pretty good at talking AT one another…but not so good at actual conversation- you know, speaking, listening, and actually respecting another person’s point of view?
There’s still much to be done, but the fact we’re talking- and perhaps even listening- is a beginning. What remains to be seen is whether we have to attention span to continue the conversation after the pundits and TV cameras have moved on to the next shiny thing.
