LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Zyahna Bryant, a Black student activist, has been hired by Dove to promote "fat liberation." The company has hired her despite a past controversy when she was accused of ruining a White student's life over a "misheard" remark.
Last week, the 22-year-old Bryant, who is studying at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, took to her Instagram to share a video where she declared that she is now a "Dove Ambassador" and also discussed "fat liberation," a campaign to end the stigma of being overweight.
"#DovePartner Fat liberation is something we should all be talking about!" she wrote in the caption, adding "That's why I am partnering with Dove, to support the work of @naafaofficial, @flareforjustice in the Campaign for Size Freedom."
"Tell us what Fat Liberation means to you using the hashtag #sizefreedom and tagging @dove to share your story," she continued.
In a clip, Bryant, who is a proud plus-size woman herself, said "My belief is that we should be centering the voices and experiences of the most marginalized people and communities at all times."
"So when I think about what fat liberation looks like to me, I think about centering the voices of those who live in and who maneuver through spaces and institutions in a fat body," she added.
Who is Zyahna Bryant?
Bryant, who has more than 27,000 followers on Instagram, is a student activist and community organizer who is studying at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, according to Daily Mail.
The activist, who also works on issues of Racial Justice in Charlottesville, founded the Black Student Union at her high school and is a member of the Charlottesville Youth Council.
She submitted a petition to the Charlottesville City Council in the spring of 2016 requesting the removal of the Lee Statue and the renaming of the park that was once known as Lee Park.
Her website says that she began campaigning as a child. "At the age of 12, she organized her first demonstration, a rally for Justice for Trayvon Martin and other unarmed black lives lost to police violence," the website states.
In 2019, Bryant was even named as one of Vogue’s 21 under 21 people "bringing change in the world."
How did Zyahna Bryant ruin White girl’s life?
Bryant allegedly ruined fellow University of Virginia student Morgan Bettinger’s life by accusing her of referring to George Floyd protesters as “speed bumps” and threatening to run them over.
The 19-year-old Bryant was a high-profile BLM activist when she encountered fellow student Morgan Bettinger at the July 2020 protest where she pulled up near a local George Floyd demonstration and found the street blocked by protesters.
A truck driver had parked his vehicle to protect the demonstrators, prompting Bettinger to tell him, “It’s a good thing that you are here because otherwise, these people would have been speed bumps,” Reason magazine reported.
Bettinger said she meant no harm by her comment but the truck driver did not take kindly to her remarks and reported her to the local police.
“I had no interest in walking over to him to speak to him. But out of being polite, when he spoke to me, I answered,” she told authorities, as per Reason Magazine.
“It was simply a comment made to a [dump] truck driver who was sitting and blocking the road, and just saying, like, ‘It’s good you’re here,’” the daughter of the police officer continued.
However, Bryant later claimed in a social media post that Bettinger was threatening demonstrators.
“The woman in this truck approached protesters in #Charlottesville, and told us that we would make ‘good speed bumps,'” Bryant wrote, adding “She then called the police and started crying saying we were attacking her.”
Following Bryant’s claims, the incident spread like wildfire and Bettinger had to endure a barrage of insults and accusations from UVA students.
In following days, Bryant began demanding that school administrators expel Bettinger.
She filed a complaint with the University Judiciary Committee, a student-run disciplinary system, alleging Bettinger's presence was threatening the students’ health and safety.
Bettinger was the subject of multiple investigations in the months that followed, Reason reported.
A student disciplinary hearing concluded that Bettinger was guilty of making a legal threat against the protesters.
However, a second investigation determined Bryant probably didn't even hear what Bettinger had said directly, and considered her evidence shaky, according to Reason.
However, the Judiciary Committee's ruling is still noted on Bettinger’s permanent record, ruining the now-graduate's chances at law school. She is now considering filing a defamation lawsuit against Bryant.
