Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown provided another reminder of how athletes have the power to elevate and inspire beyond sports on Saturday.

He drove 15 hours from Boston to Atlanta — a city that’s just 20 minutes from where he grew up in Marietta, Georgia — to lead a peaceful protest over racial injustice and the death of George Floyd.

During the march, which also included Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon, rapper Lil Yachty (both Georgia natives), Brown walked with a sign that read: “I can’t breathe.” Both Floyd and Eric Garner, another victim of police brutality, uttered the words before they died.

Brown, the NBA Players Association vice president, addressed the marchers on a megaphone.

“This is a peaceful protest. Being a celebrity, being an NBA player, don’t exclude me from no conversations at all. First and foremost, I’m a black man and I’m a member of this community,” Brown said. “We’re raising awareness for some of the injustices that we’ve been seeing. It’s not OK.

“As a young person, you’ve got to listen to our perspective. Our voices need to be heard. I’m 23 years old. I don’t know all of the answers. But I feel how everybody else is feeling, for sure. No question.”

Many pro athletes have been outspoken on social media since the death of George Floyd. Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been paying for legal fees for protestors in Minneapolis. Brown’s decision to lead and march in a protest speaks to his commitment. He organized and mobilized, and should inspire others to do the same.

The images of him in that protest are truly powerful.

Three of the Atlanta protest’s participants were arrested, and Brown seems to have identified those protestors in order to help them post bail. He was frustrated on social media that these protestors got “wrongfully arrested” at a protest where there was no violence.

We’ve seen various levels of engagement from coaches and athletes in the aftermath of Floyd’s death. An important conversation is finally starting. Brown, though, opted to take direct action and lead others to physically take a stand against police brutality and racism. It’s inspiring work.