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.