KeKe Palmer Says ‘At This Point Kneeling Has No Meaning’
Keke Palmer recently wrote about her experience in a guest column for Variety as she participated in a Los Angeles protest following George Floyd’s death and encountered the National Guard. Palmer expressed that “at this point, kneeling has no meaning.”
“I chose to join the protests in Los Angeles to bring as much awareness as we can to the injustices in America and fight against white supremacy and what it does to our nation. 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,” Palmer explained.
“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.”
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Palmer explained that the National Guard didn’t march with her and other protesters. However, one of the guards said that they had to “protect the businesses” and buildings in the neighborhood, which didn’t “add up” to Palmer.
“While a few guardsmen knelt, for me that isn’t enough. Kneeling has become a mockery of sorts,” Palmer wrote.”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 have waited for a revolution, I believe, my entire life,” Palmer wrote. “I feel it’s like this for many millennials; messages about following rules and staying in line have since 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,” Palmer said.
