It’s called “taking a knee,” and many professional athletes around the country have made the gesture publicly to protest police brutality.

When a black man is just a boy, his parents will likely have two conversations with him. The first is about life in general — things like being careful crossing the street, how to choose one’s friends and be a responsible young man.

Even as the United States still finds itself grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, outrage, grief and anger over the latest killing of an unarmed black man outweighed caution as hundreds of thousands turned out nationwide to protest and many of the country’s Catholic bishops joined the calls for justice.