Using her voice. Keke Palmer urged members of the National Guard to march alongside Black Lives Matter protesters during a peaceful demonstration on Tuesday, June 2.
“We have people here that need your help,” the actress, 26, said to a group of guardsmen on a street in Hollywood in a video shared via Twitter by NBC News correspondent Gadi Schwartz. “This is when you and y’all stand together with the community, with society, to stop the governmental oppression. Period. We need you.”
She continued, “March with us. March beside us. Get your people. … Let the revolution be televised. March beside us and show us that you’re here for us. Make history with us, please. Let’s just do it. We start marching and you march with us.”
One of the men offered to “make a deal” with Palmer, saying, “I can’t leave this post. I will march through this street with you guys, this intersection to that intersection, but I have to control this area.”
The Daytime Emmy nominee pointed out the man’s use of the word “control” and shook her head. She then asked, “What is there to control? March with us. It’ll send a huge message.”
The guardsman reiterated that he was unable to leave the area because he had to ensure the safety of other demonstrators and nearby buildings. However, he and the other members of the National Guard took a knee in the street in support of Black Lives Matter. Palmer was still disappointed though, saying, “I’m at a loss ‘cause it’s not enough. That ain’t enough for me.”
Watch all of this. pic.twitter.com/YHq0QhXrnw
— Gadi Schwartz (@GadiNBC) June 2, 2020
The “Bossy” singer is one of the many celebrities who have used their platforms in recent days to speak out about the death of George Floyd. The 46-year-old was killed on May 25 after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. Chauvin, 44, has since been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
“Racism is what the country was built on: slavery, systematic oppression, then voter oppression, female oppression, poor education system so you’re intentionally uninformed, financial oppression. Human beings can only take so much,” Palmer said in an Instagram video on Monday, June 1. “American needs government reform that demand legislations and new laws that birth the future for our kids. We deserve a new system because the old one was created to oppress us.”
For more information, visit Blacklivesmatter.com.
