Actress, talk show host, and musician Keke Palmer has penned a guest column in Variety, where she speaks openly about her feelings regarding the protests, police brutality, and kneeling. Keke gained national attention just days ago when she was seen at a protest in California asking National Guard personnel to march with her and other protesters.
The 26-year-old explained her decision to join the protests in L.A. following the murder of George Floyd “to bring as much awareness as we can to the injustices in America.”
“At one point, I spoke with National Guardsmen who were preventing us from marching past a certain point and challenged them to march with us,” Keke wrote. ”In my wildest dreams, they would all march with us without risk of punishment, in the same way, that if the whole class walks out of school, no one gets detention for it. If enough of them felt moved to do this, it would offer so much inspiration and impact the movement in such a meaningful way. They didn’t march with us, and while one offered to for a short stretch, he also said he had to “protect the businesses” and buildings in the area.”
In an interesting point of view, Keke went on to explain her feelings on kneeling, which she says has been transformed from a symbol of silent protest to a joke to some.
“While a few guardsmen knelt, for me, that isn’t enough. 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.”
The “Akeelah & The Bee” star encourages all to continue the fight for justice and equal rights even when it may be frightening.
“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. I’m a big believer that your fight is specific to you, and it must come from a real place, or it simply will not work. I can’t ask anyone to do what they aren’t willing to do. However, I do ask everyone to ask themselves a question: “Where do I draw the line?” Because if not now, then when?”
