A photo of a Black woman surrounded by members of a white supremacist group on a Washington, D.C., train has gone viral, with several users suggesting it’s the “defining” picture of America today.
The photo, taken on July 4 by Reuters photographer Cheney Orr, depicts a Black woman sitting on a Washington Metro train while surrounded by members of the Patriot Front, a white nationalist group. Hundreds of Patriot Front members marched through Washington Saturday afternoon as the nation celebrated its 250th anniversary.
And now, social media is abuzz with reactions to the photo.
“I feel like the photo of this Black woman surrounded by dozens of masked, anonymous, white nationalists is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time,” Melanie D’Arrigo, executive director of the Campaign for New York Health, wrote on X.
“Your great grandchildren will see this photo in their history books. This is a defining image of the era of American history we live in,” liberal commentator Dean Withers said.
Content creator Mike Nellis wrote: “This feels like the type of photo your grandkids will see in a textbook someday.”
Actor Wendell Pierce, best known for playing Bunk Moreland on The Wire and James Greer on Jack Ryan, also chimed in. He re-shared the photo on X, writing: “Today, July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of America.”
Hundreds of Patriot Front members marched through Washington Saturday afternoon, chanting “reclaim America” and “life, liberty, victory,” as they carried American and Confederate flags. Several members were seen traveling by train and exiting Metro stations as they prepared to march near Capitol Hill.
Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department didn’t report any arrests, The Independent previously reported.
“MPD recognizes the rights of individuals to peacefully express their views and remains committed to maintaining public safety and security for D.C. residents and visitors,” a department spokeswoman said.
When asked Sunday if he condemns Patriot Front, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told CNN’s Dana Bash: “What they stand for is nothing that I could possibly agree with. But one of the foundational principles of the United States which makes democracy messy is free speech.”
“And there are plenty of things that I see that I might personally find offensive, irreprehensible. But in America, free speech is allowed,” he added.
Patriot Front was founded in 2017, after the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The group promotes an “ultra-nationalist ideology” that focuses on creating a “white ethnostate in the United States,” with the ultimate goal of reshaping American society to “align with their vision of racial and cultural homogeneity,” according to the George Washington University Program on Extremism.
Some right-wing commentators have promoted conspiracy theories claiming Patriot Front is made up of federal agents or left-wing activists. Fox News host Laura Ingraham shared a post on X Saturday suggesting Patriot Front’s Fourth of July march was “fake” and that it “looks more like Antifa in costume.”
