Keke Palmer Stands Up To National Guard & Asks Them To “March With Us”

The national uprising against police violence continues, and as civilians take the streets to protest, several celebrities are speaking up in support. Keke Palmer is among the A-lister using their platforms to bring more attention to the cause, and her attendance at a Hollywood protest was an important lesson on how to utilise celebrity for good.

Yesterday, Palmer joined thousands of Los Angeles residents on the frontlines of a massive peaceful demonstration on Hollywood Boulevard. The National Guard was also present, and the actress and TV personality made it a point to speak to the military forces. Acknowledging that the National Guard was instructed by the president to control the crowd, Palmer had a special request for the troops: "March with us."

"We have people here that need your help," Palmer said in a now-viral video shared by NBC News correspondent Gadi Schwartz. "This is when y'all stand together with the community, with society, to stop the governmental oppression. Period. We need you, so march with us."

Even after several members of the National Guard took a knee (per the suggestion of a protester in the crowd), Palmer pushed for more action.

"March with us," she continued passionately. "March beside us. Get your people. March beside us. Let the revolution be televised. 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."

As the video circulated around the internet, people praised the 26-year-old for her courage in confronting the military. Palmer has been one of the many Hollywood celebrities to use her platform to amplify the work of Black Lives Matter, speaking up at length about the horrors of systematic racism. It isn't easy, but as a Black woman who is living in this moment, the star knew that she had no other choice but to up the ante for allyship.

"Though the kneeling could be seen as a walk in the same direction, we've seen just moments after kneeling, we've seen the tear gassing and the chaos afterward," Palmer explained to Robin Roberts on Good Morning America this morning. "Citizens need to know what side of history you're on."

"The conversation isn't if you are or are not racist," she emphasised during the GMA interview. "The conversation is now, how deep is your interest in eradicating racism? And what are the actions you're willing to take to systematically change inequality?"