A Rastafarian at Heart
For Ryeanna Jahsiah Iverly, participating in the recent We Have a Dream fair was never a question.
Her passion for the Black Lives Matter movement is tightly connected, she says, to her connection to the Rastafarian culture:
“If it wasn't for black lives in this world? I don't know if my home would have ever been found because I'm personally, I am Rastafari and if it weren’t for Buffalo soldiers and people that came over from Africa, I wouldn't have the history that I have and...I fear what I might've become if there had not been black lives involved in my life at some point.”
Rastafari, also known as the Rastafarianism first developed in Jamaica in the 1930s as a joint religious and social movement. According to Wikipedia, the Buffalo Soldiers nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in the Indian Wars in 1866. It’s also the name of a famous Bob Marley song:
Buffalo Soldier, dreadlock Rasta
There was a Buffalo Soldier
In the heart of America
Stolen from Africa, brought to America
Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival
Hurt by the Ongoing Racism and Police Brutality
Iverly says she aims to help in anyway she can.
“I brought down the flags and most of the protest signs,” she said. She often acts as a welcome person waving tall progressive-themed flags at downtown events,
“I've been contributing by helping out and just giving a hand here and there, but previous to that, I've been, walking around town and it displayed my flags and pull my wagons and played Rasta music because Rasta is a call to love, and love is what we all need.”
Iverly stressed the importance of keeping the Black Lives Matter movement alive.
“That's very hurting to have to watch that on television,” she said of Jacob Blake, who was recently shot seven times in the back by a police officer in Wisconsin, paralyzing him from the waist down.
“You know, I've, I've heard things that are bad saying, well, he's done this, and he's done that, but it doesn't matter what he's done. Nobody deserves to be shot in the back for just going into their car. You know, nobody deserves to be attacked for something that is non-consequential. You know, they knew who he was. They already had him; if he got in the car and drove off, they knew his license plate. They could have stopped him, whatever, you know, but to shoot someone for no reason or strangle them or just to brutalize them in any way is so wrong. And I've been there.”
We could not independently verify her own run-ins with local police, but Iverly said she’s been arrested several times during recent protests.
Above a photo of the recent We Have a Dream event. Photo by Neith Pereira from our sister Reynolds Sandbox publication.
Love and Vote
For Iverly, the solution to creating a better world is simple. She says she is confident that voting and love are the two answers.
“I would say the election is coming up very soon and the main issue is really to get Black lives to matter.”
Locally, Iverly says she doesn’t believe the support is nearly close enough. “I get about a 50/50 mix of love and hate when I'm out protesting all the time. So, I don't know if that's good. I don't think it is, you know.”
Due to her Rastafarian beliefs, Iverly says she wants to love and forgive everyone but finds herself losing hope in people who are filled with negative thoughts. “I can't change people. All I can do is speak to them about how I feel and try to tell them why Black lives do matter to me. And hopefully, they can see the reasoning behind it instead of perhaps worrying about their white privilege.”