‘One of the amazing ones’: Brother of woman surrounded by white supremacists in viral July 4 photo speaks out

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 04: Members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front ride the Washington Metro on July 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. Numerous events, activities, and fireworks are planned in celebration of America's 250th Anniversary. (Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
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Paul Bowlding says his sister, Bernita Bowlding, was traveling on a train headed for Silver Spring, Maryland, when Patriot Front members boarded, leading to an unforgettable photo that many have proclaimed a future award winner.

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One of the most striking images taken during the July 4 weekend, as America celebrated its 250th anniversary, wasn’t a firework display or even a display of American flags. Instead, it was a Black woman, sitting on a train in Washington D.C., surrounded by a white supremacist group.

The image, which photographer Cheney Orr captured for Reuters, quickly went viral online. The image was one of hundreds snapped by Orr to document how Patriot Front, a white supremacist organization, decided to employ a show of force in the nation’s capital after marching through D.C. earlier that morning.

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