Ieshia Evans became a symbol of peaceful protest two years ago, but she has a different view of her legacy.

Thanks to a well-placed Reuters photographer, a picture of Evans staring down a SWAT team during a protest against Alton Sterling's killing will go down in history. But she believes that image was an inaccurate portrayal of her spirit.

“I’ve had people who see the picture, and they have this idea in their head of who they want me to be. And when they get a glimpse of who I actually am, they don’t like it,” Evans told HuffPost. “People saw me and kept championing the ‘peaceful protest,’ and that’s fine.”

On the contrary, Evans has a more pragmatic approach to fighting oppression.

“I’m not against protesting peacefully, and I’m not pro-violence, but I’m definitely in favor of defending yourself,” she continued. “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!’”

The nation has changed in the two years since Evans stood her ground in Baton Rouge, and her opinions have evolved, as well. She thinks activists need to take a bold approach when fighting the power.

“I’d like to see a lot more of that fight, and not just from ‘my people,’” Evans said.

“I’d like to see more whistleblowing,” she said. “People of good conscience, people with a good heart — like some people back in the ’60s. When they were risking their lives, it wasn’t just them standing in protest. It wasn’t something like what I did, standing in front of police officers. Even though that’s dangerous, there are more worthwhile efforts, like uncovering the truth about what’s really going on.”

When asked about her legacy, Evans was just as direct. She doesn’t want to be the face of peaceful protest.

“I’d like to be remembered as a revolutionary,” she said.

Head to HuffPo for the full article.

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