I guess you’re wondering about the delay in the Shuttle.

I’d like to explain, but it’s tricky, because it involves members of my family. Before 2020, we all thought we knew what it meant to take precautions; this year has doubled down on that phrase. As some of you may have found out, there are no benign symptoms these days, not much certainty, and a fair bit of flailing, in particular when it comes to testing and getting results in a timely fashion. In the meantime, we can only do what we’re supposed to do — mask up, avoid crowds, wash our hands — and look forward to better, freer days down the line.

Bottom line: We’re all fine. And the Shuttle rolls on.

You may have read Devon Watts’ thoughts on police brutality from the mindset of a young Black man before you got here. If not, please do before you move on from the paper for the month.

I follow Dev on Instagram, and before that, I knew him as one of the guys in my son’s friend circle. Reading one of his posts right after George Floyd was killed stopped me short: “I’m now fully aware that I always have to consider what I look like and the potential consequence of every step I take,” he wrote. Gulp.

What if a police officer or citizen saw Dev not as the gregarious, gentle guy he is, but as a tall, somewhat burly Black man who was acting “sketchy”? How would he come out on the other side of their interaction?

“I must remember a white man’s artistic endeavor is a Black man’s death wish,” he writes further down. Dev’s a photographer (He uses film!), and two of his many excellent photos of Philly’s protests against racial injustice accompany his story. Many would like to believe the color of someone’s skin doesn’t affect how we view someone’s abilities. But with all we know now, can we deny his point?

Catch you in the pages next month — really.