Dove has partnered with a BLM activist to promote ‘fat liberation’

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Dove has partnered with a black activist accused of ruining a white student's life over a 'misheard' remark to promote 'fat liberation' in a bizarre and controversial new campaign.

The beauty brand has teamed up with Zyahna Bryant, a community organizer and student activist studying at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

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Bryant, 22, claimed that she had overheard a white student named Morgan Bettinger threaten Black Lives Matter protesters in Charlottesville in July 2020 after she used the phrase 'speed bumps' while describing the protest that she saw.

But Bryant later admitted she may have 'misheard', after gleefully watching and joining-in as Bettinger was canceled and her life was destroyed.

Bettinger was subjected to a torrent of abuse and a campaign to remove her from UVA. Staff and students ganged up against her and scuppered her future prospects.

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Despite the controversy, Dove has chosen Bryant as one of their 'paid partners' - a loose advertising and promotional tie-up, similar to that Bud Light offered to trans activist Dylan Mulvaney.

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'#DovePartner Fat liberation is something we should all be talking about!' wrote Bryant.

'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.'

In an accompanying clip Bryant, who is proudly plus-size herself, said: 'My belief is that we should be centering the voices and experiences of the most marginalized people and communities at all times.

So when I think about what fat liberation looks like to me, I think about centering the voices of those who live in and who maneuver through spaces and institutions in a fat body.'

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In July 2020, amid the George Floyd protests, Bettinger mistakenly drove into a street where protesters were gathered.

As she tried to get away, her car was encircled.

Bettinger said she told a truck driver, who was in front of her and blocking the way, that: 'It's a good thing that you are here, because otherwise these people would have been speed bumps.'

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Bryant tweeted that Bettinger had said the protesters would have 'make good speedbumps' - a particularly chilling reference following Heyer's murder.

Bettinger was quickly identified, with the revelation that she was pro-police - and with a late father who had worked as a police officer - further outraging her critics.

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Bryant and others called for a severe punishment, or expulsion from UVA.

Bryant then embarked on an email campaign to have Bettinger expelled, tweeting: 'EMAIL these UVA deans now to demand that Morgan face consequences for her actions and that UVA stop graduating racists.'

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UVA's Judiciary Committee later found Bettinger guilty of making a legitimate threat, despite being unable to prove Bryant's claim about her intentions.

Its 'jurors' told her that even saying the words in a harmless manner during the anti-racism protests of summer 2020 merited punishment.

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Bryant also filed a complaint with the school's Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights (EOCR), where the student activist claimed Bettinger had made the statement five times and had discriminated against Bryant on the basis of race.

EOCR found that three of the five accusations could not be corroborated, and Bryant herself later admitted she may have misheard the 'speed bumps' claim.

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Most damningly, the report - which was brought forth because of Bryant's complaint - found that Bryant most likely did not hear Bettinger make the comment first hand.

No eyewitnesses were able to corroborate Bryant's version of events.

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The Judiciary Committee's ruling is still noted on her permanent record - ruining the now-graduate's chances at law school.

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