Keke Palmer, who starred in Nickelodeon's popular comedy series True Jackson, VP is captured on video calmly and powerfully talking to armed soldiers about how the community needs them to stand with them against government oppression.
It's emerged as one of the most powerful moments of the ongoing protests against systemic racism and oppression and you won't find it on the Twitter page of the celebrity at the heart of it.
KeKe Palmer was a powerful figure for young people during her time on Nickelodeon's True Jackson, VP and she has continued to impress into her young adulthood, but what she did on Tuesday (June 2) may emerge as one of the biggest and most impactful moments of her life.
She showed what a single voice of calm reason, rational commentary and an attempt to reach across the color divide, across the divide between protester and law enforcement (nay military enforcement) can do.
Watch all of this. pic.twitter.com/YHq0QhXrnw
— Gadi Schwartz (@GadiNBC) June 2, 2020
Members of the 18th Calvary patrolling Hollywood take a knee with protestors on Sunset Blvd. @NBCNightlyNews @MSNBC #BLM pic.twitter.com/F41OV82Rdm
— Gadi Schwartz (@GadiNBC) June 2, 2020
And you won't find it on her Twitter or Instagram pages, which may be the most powerful statement of all.
Instead, it was NBC News correspondent Gadi Schwartz who first shared the Hustlers star's moving dialogue with several national guardsman where she urged them to "march with us," even if for just a little while.
Protests have been happening on a daily basis in cities around the world since the May 25 killing of George Floyd, an innocent black man, underneath the physical weight of the police in Minneapolis.
Former officer Derek Chauvin was filmed with his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, where Floyd pleaded for his life and repeated, "I can't breathe" until he finally fell silent and died. Still Chauvin did not move.
Charged with third-degree murder, Chauvin has been arrested. The other three officers, including two who also knelt on Floyd, have not been charged, though charges are reportedly being considered. All four were fired.
An independent autopsy determined that "asphyxiation from sustained pressure" was the cause of death. In the wake of his death, the state of Minnesota launched a civil rights investigation into the Minneapolis PD seeking to instigate widespread systemic changes.
"March with us. March beside us. Get your people. March beside us. Let the revolution be televised," Palmer pleaded with the soldiers. "March beside us and show us that you’re here for us. Let’s just do it. We start marching and you march with us. Make history with us please!"
Palmer also called out the president's divisive rhetoric as a potential danger to all. "You have to pay attention to what's going on or else we have a president that's trying to incite a race war," she said.
"The borders are closed. We can't leave," she continued. "We have people here that need your help. This is when y'all stand together with the community, with society, to stop the governmental oppression. Period."
Her words were not falling on deaf ears, either, although she was ultimately unsuccessful in her attempts to get the soldiers to commit to a full march. One of them did agree that they could walk the block with her.
He explained that they were charged with maintaining order on that street corner, protecting protesters and businesses, and that all of their military supplies were on that corner.
Another protest sought compromise, asking the solders to instead kneel with the protesters, and this the soldier and his fellow guardsmen were willing to do. Palmer could be heard in the background saying, "It's not enough." But it is a start.
It was also proof that meaningful dialogue is possible between two parties that might at first glance appear to be on opposite sides of things. It also affirms that there are many in the military and in law enforcement who absolutely support these protests and what they're fighting for.
Palmer did share a video of herself to her Instagram on Monday where she spoke about the ongoing civil unrest. "At 26, I'm looking out and witnessing a physical revolt -- and it's a revolt on a scale that I wasn't sure I'd ever see."
A day later she would be out in the middle of that revolt trying desperately to bridge a divide and create a sense of unity toward a common cause.
"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," she said in her earlier post. "Human beings can only take so much."
She went on to suggest that America needs massive reform with new legislation that serves all races and all people. "We deserve a new system because the old one was created to oppress us," she said.
Within hours of the clip going viral on social media, "Keke" was trending at number one on Twitter as fans new and old flocked to the social media platform to give her all the accolades she clearly isn't seeking in that video. That perhaps makes them all the more deserved.
Original source: toofab.
More from Showbiz Cheat Sheet:
Keke Palmer Begs the National Guard to March With Protesters in Viral Video: 'We Need You'
Keke Palmer is an actress, singer, and talk show host — but she’s also big on activism. On June 2, 2020, a video of Palmer at a Hollywood demonstration starting trending on Twitter. In the viral clip, the Hustlers actress can be seen among protesters against police brutality. Encountered by members of the National Guard on the street in Los Angeles, Palmer told the guardsmen, “we need you.”
Who is Keke Palmer?
Keke Palmer is a 26-year-old entertainer originally from a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. As a young actor, Palmer became known in Hollywood for her starring roles in 2006’s Akeelah and the Bee and the wildly popular Nickelodeon show, True Jackson: VP.
Later, Palmer appeared on TV series like Masters of Sex, Scream Queens, Berlin Station, and Star, and in the 2019 movie Hustlers.
Also in 2019, Palmer began co-hosting the ABC show Strahan, Sara and Keke with her fellow hosts Sara Haines and Michael Strahan. The following year, Palmer was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host.
‘True Jackson’ actress participates in Black Lives Matter protests, appears in viral video
In June 2020, Palmer joined the protests over the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd. Several demonstrators filmed Palmer asking a National Guardsmen to see her perspective on police brutality and the responsibility of law enforcement. NBC News reporter Gadi Schwartz also posted the video of Palmer on Twitter, where it received thousands of likes and retweets.
In the video, the National Guard members can be seen clad head-to-toe in protective gear. Launching into a long speech about Trump’s comments on the protests, Palmer makes a case for her cause.
“You have to understand what’s going on,” she says to the National Guard members. “We have a president who’s trying to incite a race war.”
When one of them reaches his hand out to Palmer, she replies, “no, no, no.”
“Let’s just do it,” Palmer emphasizes. “We start marching, and you march with us. Please.” The protesters around the actress start applauding and encouraging the Guardsman to participate.
“March with us!” the crowd begins to chant. The Guardsman insists it’s his job to remain at his post.
Keke Palmer calls out the National Guard at a Hollywood protest
“We need you,” Palmer pleads to the Guardsman in the video. “So march with us. March beside us. You get your people. March beside us. March beside us. Let the revolution be televised.”
When that attempt is fruitless, another protester chimes in.
“Can you do me a favor? Can you take a kneel?” they ask of the Guardsman.
“Absolutely,” he responds.
“I don’t know,” Palmer says. “That ain’t enough for me.”
However, some of the other National Guardsmen kneel at this point in the video. Again, the crowd starts cheering.
Twitter responds to Keke Palmer’s protest pleas
While the viral tweet no doubt caused controversy among the Twitterverse, many users found the video powerful and uplifting. Several tweeters encouraged Palmer to run for office. (Some Twitter users recognized Palmer from her Hollywood career, while others didn’t, simply finding the video inspirational on its own merit).
As one user tweeted:
…now I am crying. The young woman showed the power of speech and non-violent activism. We need more dialog. Kudos to the guardsmen for taking a risk and doing the right thing.
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From The Independent:
George Floyd protests: Keke Palmer asks National Guard soldiers to 'march with us'
‘Hustlers’ star said taking the knee was ‘not enough’
Actor Keke Palmer implored a member of the National Guard to “stand with the community” and join protests for Black Lives Matter.
In a clip shared to Twitter by NBC News reporter Gadi Schwartz, the Hustlers star is seen asking a group of soldiers to stand up for what’s right and disavow President Donald Trump’s warning that “once the looting starts, the shooting starts”.
Palmer said: “You have a president that’s talking about the second amendment as a use for people to use firearms against the people that are protesting. This is the message we’re seeing. I don’t know if you’re on social media because the news don’t tell you everything.
“You have to pay attention to what is going on. We have a president that’s trying to incite a race war. The borders are closed, we can’t leave. You have people in here that need your help, this is when we need your help. Y’all stand with the community, with society to stop the governmental oppression, period.”
With one member of the guard saying that he agreed, Palmer continued: “So march beside us. Let the revolution be televised, march beside us and show us that you’re here for us. Make history with us, please.”
As chants of “march with us” began, a different soldier told the former Nickelodeon star that he couldn’t leave the area he was controlling, prompting her to ask: “What is there to control? March with us, it will send a huge message, you and your men, protect us.”
With the officers refusing and only agreeing to take the knee in solidarity, Palmer said: “OK. I’m at a loss. I don’t know. That ain’t enough for me. That ain’t enough. March with us.”
Protests for Black Lives Matter have continued to spread across the US following the death of George Floyd, who died after a police officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes.
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