2020 Reflections: Black Lives Matter protester reflects on local racial justice movement

Samantha Francine stares up at a man blaring in her face while she holds a sign that reads: “Say their names.”

The image was taken in early June at a Black Lives Matter rally in downtown Whitefish. It was among many gatherings held throughout the country in outcry over the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who died after being pinned to the ground by white police officer Derek Chauvin after Floyd allegedly used a counterfeit $20 bill.

It is important to note that the man in the photo is white and Francine is a bi-racial woman.

His posture is domineering, intimidating. His fists are clenched as he screams at her, less than a foot away.

But Francine looks him in the eye.

She is strong, steady. She does not back down.

The photo was an image heard around the world, propelling Francine into the national spotlight after she shared the frame on social media.

“No matter the threat, always look them in the eye so they have to acknowledge you’re human,” her father, a single white man, had told her. She never forgot those words. In the moment those were the words that ran through her mind.

The man was captured in the video shared on social media aggressively approached Black Lives Matter protesters assembled on a street corner in Whitefish, yelling profanities and batting down their signs. At one point, he pauses in front of Francine and in a now infamous moment, she raises her sunglasses and stares back at him. He was later identified as Jay Snowden, 51, of Whitefish and was charged with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, to which he pleaded not guilty the day after the protest in Whitefish Municipal Court.

“When you look at that photo, I would want people to see power — but gracious power,” Francine told the Inter Lake. “I didn't have to yell and scream like he did. The only thing I had to do was lift up my sunglasses. I was standing firm in who I was and having the power to look hate in the eyes and not back down."

FRANCINE HAS since had the opportunity to speak about that moment, and her experiences as a woman of color in Montana, on platforms such as CNN International, Women’s Health Magazine and CBS. She’s also conducted between 30 and 40 virtual speaking engagements from Missoula to London and has more on the schedule. These conversations both in the media and on her home turf are what she believes are the key instigators of change.

“I think this is a really big moment for the valley. So many people didn't want to have those conversations because it’s uncomfortable, but it was unavoidable — you couldn't just ignore it,” Francine said. “A lot of people are much more like-minded than people realize. People want to treat people right and they want to understand.”

And Montana, she notes, has room to grow.

This isn't the first time the state has made headlines for issues related to race. In 2017, Whitefish real estate agent Tanya Gersh was the victim of an anti-Semitic “troll storm” of messages and threats prompted by the neo-Nazi website, the Daily Stormer.

There are also very few people of color in Montana —according to the U.S. Census Bureau, just 0.6% of Montana residents identify as Black or African American. White people, in contrast, command a significant majority, comprising 88.9% of the state’s population.

Francine experienced these statistics personally while growing up in Whitefish as one of few people of color. She remembers being called the “n” word as a first-grader, how she wasn’t welcome at certain birthday parties and that boys wanted to date her — just not in public.

“For the longest time I felt like I wasn’t good enough or I wasn’t as good as everyone around me,” she recalled.

This summer’s wave of Black Lives Matter protests seemed to exacerbate tensions within a community already divided by a polarizing election season. When a group of young activists raised $1,300 for a BLM billboard that read, “I can’t breathe”, it was vandalized with paint just days later. And after word got out about a large BLM protest in downtown Kalispell, a group of armed citizens describing themselves as “peacekeepers” showed up laden with guns and ammunition under the guise of protecting a local military monument.

“The more we let the world and politics divide us the further we get from peace,” Francine explained. “I’m not saying it’s ever going to go away …. But I do really believe in the power of change and I do believe we will get to a better place sooner rather than later. People of color are finding their voice.”

FRANCINE IS working to effect that change locally in hopes of fostering a more accepting environment for people of all races and orientations. She’s part of a grassroots organization called Ignite that is helping to unite the local BIPOC (Black, indigenous and people of color) community and plans to conduct educational outreach. Although COVID-19 has put outreach efforts on hold for now, Francine wants to continue having tough conversations about race and even get Black speakers into classrooms to present on topics such as Black history.

“I love talking everywhere — it’s been unreal — but this is where I want to do the work. It’s my home. And it matters most here for me,” she said. “Once we get back to some sort of normalcy I would like to see more of those things happen — supporting each other, educating each other.”

Francine received “a little bit of hate” from the BLM photo, but was overwhelmingly met with support in Whitefish and through social media. But when the photo first began circulating she realized something troubling, that Snowden’s wife was receiving a lot of backlash. It didn’t sit well with Francine so she and a friend came up with the idea to present Snowden’s wife with a gift basket. They met in a public place for the exchange which Francine described as beautiful and really special.

“It was really well-received,” she said. “Everyone was trying not to cry. I wanted her to know that we saw her separate from him.”

She spoke with Snowden’s wife twice more after the exchange but has yet to sit down with Snowden himself. She’s open to a conversation, but is adamant that she won’t accept a “half-assed apology.”

“I hold no malice in my heart toward him at all,” she explained, “I just hope that someday when he looks back on this moment he’ll realize that maybe he had some areas of growth.”

Reporter Mackenzie Reiss may be reached at 758-4433 or mreiss@dailyinterlake.com.