Keke Palmer is one of the ladies being honored by our sister site, Variety, for its Power of Women issue. The actress-turned-talk-show-host wrote a powerful essay for the magazine about being part of the “revolution” for change in America. Her piece comes just days after she spent time protesting for Black Lives Matter in Los Angeles, and a video showed her urging the National Guard to join the march went viral on the Internet.
In the highly-viewed video, Keke begged the National Guard members to show solidarity with the protesters by joining them in marching down the streets of Los Angeles. They refused, although they did take a knee, a la Colin Kaepernick, to show their support. In the video, Keke made it clear that she was not satisfied with this, and, in her Variety essay, she opened up further about why it upset her.
“While a few guardsmen knelt, for me that isn’t enough,” Keke said. “Kneeling has become a mockery of sorts. Kneeling on George Floyd’s neck is what killed him. Now we see police officers kneeling and then, moments later, attacking peaceful protesters. At this point, the kneeling has no meaning.”
I love @KekePalmer. She’s out in the streets of LA talking with the National Guard. pic.twitter.com/7iZ2tvubXn
— Anthony Dominic (@alloveranthony) June 2, 2020
She also explained why she got so upset with the National Guard for choosing to “protect the businesses” in the area, as opposed to marching with the protesters. “What about the people who are actually dying?” Keke wrote. “In that moment, I wasn’t thinking about who may or may not touch a building; I was thinking about how we’re out here, fighting for a call to protect human lives. And the government is telling you to protect a building? That doesn’t add up to me.”
In conclusion, Keke is ready to continue fighting for justice in America, and has vowed to be part of the change. “I have waited for a revolution, I believe, my entire life,” she said. “I feel it’s like this for many millennials; messages about following rules and staying in line have evolved into calls to stand up and get others to stand with you, to challenge authority and recognize different life experiences while gathering with others who are like-minded. I truly believe that everything that has led us to this moment has prepared us for a revolution and a revelation: the dismantling and rebuilding of a system that is better, more equitable and representative of the people it claims to represent. So while it may be scary, we were born for this: We were born to be leaders and grow out of just ‘following rules’ because following rules isn’t enough.”