This year’s President’s Day was one to remember.
In addition to hundreds of people protesting the current commander-in-chief, Morehouse College renamed the annual holiday “Barack Obama Day.” And on Twitter, filmmaker Matthew A. Cherry gave a major salute to strong Black women that went viral.
The photos depict three women who stood up to excessive police force through peaceful, yet unbothered, acts of defiance.
“It just always seemed like throughout history Black women have always been in the front lines when it comes to fighting oppression and trying to make a better future for their kids,” Cherry told ESSENCE.
The first image is of 28-year-old nurse, Ieshia Evans standing in front of the Baton Rouge Police Department in Louisiana during a 2016 Black Lives Matter protest.
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The second photo is of an unidentified woman smoking while police approach her in what appears to be the 1960s. And the last two are images of Gloria Richardson Dandridge, the leader of the Cambridge Movement, who pushed away a National Guard’s gun in a 1963 photo.
“These images just showed how fearless Black women are and have been throughout history. And I thought that it would make for a good photo series especially on President’s Day, when so many people are feeling motivated to stand up against the current guy in office.”
Check out more contributions to “Black Women Unbothered By The Police,” here.