Six years after Eric Garner’s dying words “I can’t breathe” became a rallying cry, we are, sadly, right back where we were then as yet another incomprehensible injustice dominates our headlines and our country—the murder of George Floyd.

This image, photographed by Philippe Cheng back when the tragic death of Eric Garner was in the news, could have just as easily been taken yesterday or this morning. When asked for the backstory on the photo, Cheng—who is a fine-art, lifestyle and wedding photographer based in Bridgehampton on Long Island—was quick to quote Magnum photographer Susan Meiselas: “When you photograph someone, you honor them.” It’s one of Cheng’s guiding mantras.

“I remember asking this beautiful, strong woman on a subway platform in Manhattan if I could take her picture and she allowed me into her world and into what she was thinking and feeling,” Cheng recalls. “The power of images is often found at times within seconds, as in this case, and in the relationship of mutual trust and respect between the image maker and the subject.”

Fast-forward to earlier this week when Cheng found himself documenting Black Lives Matter demonstrations in and around Bridgehampton. See those images in the gallery above.

Check out more Photos of the Day, and email submissions to RF’s editor-in-chief at jacqueline.tobin@emeraldx.com.