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| - For years, an image supposedly taken at a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest that showed a white man in a wheelchair with a sign reading, "I'm sorry I'm late. I had a lot to learn" has spread online.
In February 2025, the image was widely posted across Reddit. We also found posts that included it on Threads.
Man owns to his past mistakes and changes for the good.
byu/starlight_collector inpics
Many social media users who shared the image commented that they wished more people were able to publicly change their mind on opinions they once held. At least one user who commented on the posts was suspicious of the image and hoped it was real.
We first fact-checked this claim in 2020, when we found the photo authentically showed a demonstrator at a BLM protest against racial injustice in Bethel, Ohio. (We identified him in the fact check as Ryan D. "Wheelz," which we reported was a nickname given to him by his friends.)
When we looked into this photo again in 2025, we found the man's Facebook account — along with posts he had made giving further information about the image and why he had shown up at the protest — appeared to have since been deleted. We'll update this story if any further information about the photo or the man in it emerges.
When we originally looked into the claim, the man confirmed to us that he was the person in the photo and shared a second image of himself as proof:
He told us:
I hope that the photo lets people of color know that despite popular stereotypes, they have the love and support of many people in rural communities. I also hope it lets people know that it's OK to change your opinion when you're presented with new evidence that clearly shows you were wrong. I used to be in the "all lives matter" camp, which they all do but when individuals say black lives matter, it doesn't mean only black lives matter. When you examine the evidence it's very clear that this civil rights movement welcomes and advocates for people of many different backgrounds.
The man also said he had experienced some harassment regarding the photo, but that he found supporting the protest to be bigger than himself and worth the abuse he had dealt with.
The protest that the man was attending in Bethel made national news in June 2020. Several reputable publications including The Guardian, The Washington Post and USA Today reported that hundreds of armed counter-protesters confronted around 80 people in the small Ohio town who had gathered to support the BLM movement.
At the time, the man told us that he hoped the image gave some evidence to BLM activists that they had support in rural communities.
Snopes archives contributed to this report.
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