Protest and reflection: A year after the death of George Floyd

Bettye and Robert Freeman were sitting in their Boston living room when they heard the clamor on the street outside.

After 51 years of marriage, they walked out to their stoop without saying a word. They just went.

As they pushed through the heavy wooden front door, they saw the chanting protesters. It was June 4, 2020, 10 days after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

Still silent, the Freemans - self-described children of the '60s who are Black - simultaneously, solemnly raised their right fists. The crowd returned the salute. Reuters photographer Brian Snyder's image shows two faces flooded with pain, pride, sadness and strength all at once.

It was a passing of the torch, Bettye, a retired lawyer whose father was the first Black mayor of Montclair, New Jersey, said in an interview in the run-up to the anniversary of Floyd's May 25, 2020 death. We've marched, we've protested. And maybe some of the sadness in my face is that we're still having to do this.

The Freemans' photo was among the most memorable Reuters images from the protests after Floyd's death. A year later, Reuters asked subjects of three powerful photos about their reflections. They spoke of equality, justice and disillusionment. The meter hasn't moved that much, Bettye said, and that's very distressing.

Bettye, 71, is a former Massachusetts assistant attorney general for civil rights and dean of students at Northeastern University law school.