Culture and Social Issues
Activist Who Pushed To Get Student Expelled Over ‘Misheard’ Remark Announces ‘Fat Liberation’ Partnership With Dove
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An activist who tried to get a white student kicked out of school over a “misheard” comment announced she has partnered with Dove as a brand ambassador for a “Fat Liberation” campaign.
Zyanha Bryant, who is a student at the University of Virginia and a prominent activist, pushed school officials to expel fellow student Morgan Bettinger over uncorroborated claims that she heard her say BLM protesters would be “good speed bumps,” according to Reason. Despite this, Dove reportedly brought Bryant on as an ambassador for its latest campaign for “Size Freedom,” according to an Aug. 31 Instagram post.
“Fat liberation is something we should all be talking about,” Bryant wrote. “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 ♥️.”
The post was liked by Dove’s Global Channel social media account.
On June 17, 2020, Bryant allegedly tweeted that Bettinger had called BLM protestors “good speed bumps,” according to Reason.
“The woman in this truck approached protesters in #Charlottesville, and told us that we would make ‘good speedbumps,'” Bryant wrote. “She then called the police and started crying saying we were attacking her.”
The post was reportedly retweeted more than 1,000 times and quickly became a national story and Bettinger was identified and revealed to be a supporter of the Blue Lives Matter movement by the following morning, according to Reason. Bettinger, however, claimed that she had been speaking to a city worker blocking off the street and said “It’s a good thing that you are here because, otherwise, these people would have been speed bumps.”
Over the course of the next year, Bettinger was investigated by the UVA Judiciary Council, the college’s civil rights office and a student-run investigation, with the first finding her guilty of “threatening the health or safety” of students and the latter two agreeing with Bettinger’s version of events, according to Reason. The civil rights office noted that Bryant had no witness or evidence to back up her claim despite it reportedly happening in front of dozens of people.
Due to the council’s decision, Bettinger was sentenced to 50 hours of community service, along with mandated meetings with a university professor on the topic of “police-community relations,” according to Reason. She was also required to write an apology letter to Bryant and was under threat of expulsion if she had any following incidents.
Bryant has since been named to Ebony Magazine’s 2023 “Power 100” list and featured in an official Juneteenth post for Instagram.
Bryant, Dove and Unilever, Dove’s parent company, did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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