The mayor of Durham, N.C., praised a 10-year-old Cub Scout who knelt during the pledge of allegiance at a city council meeting, saying “we endorse and appreciate all expressions of conscience.”

Ten-year-old Liam Holmes was asked along with his Cub Scout troop to lead the pledge of allegiance before the Durham City Council Monday when he decided to take a knee.

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"What I did was took a knee against racial discrimination, which is basically when people are mean to other people of different colors," Holmes told local outlet CBS 17.

His father Scott Holmes, a local attorney, said he discussed the decision with his son leading up to the city council meeting but was unsure if Liam would follow through with it.

"When he did it I was really surprised and also really proud of him," Holmes said.

Liam said the Mayor Steve Schewel personally thanked him afterward.

"Thank you, councilman, and thank you, scouts. To the scout that expressed his conscience by kneeling, we will say we endorse and appreciate all expressions of conscience in Durham City Council," Schewel said after the pledge finished.

Kneeling as a symbol of protest garnered national attention when former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt during the anthem during the 2016 football season to raise awareness to the oppression of people of color in America.

Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since 2016 and filed a grievance against the league in 2017 alleging owners colluded to keep him out of the league.

-Updated 8 p.m.