Keke Palmer Leads On The National Guard

In the decade it has taken Keke Palmer to transform from beloved child star to Emmy-nominated daytime host, she’s also shown off her flair for rhetoric. Last year, she made Dick Cheney into a meme by simply saying, “Sorry to that man.” On Tuesday, Palmer was protesting in Los Angeles when she pulled off an even more impressive rhetorical feat, in an exchange captured by NBC News’s Gadi Schwartz. When the host approached a handful of National Guardsmen, they had a conversation, and by the end, the guards were practically ready to leave their posts and join the movement.

“You have a president who is talking about the second amendment, saying to use it against the people who are protesting. This is the message that we’re seeing,” she said. “I don’t know if you’re on social media, because the news doesn’t tell you everything. But you have to pay attention to what is going on. We have a president who is trying to incite a race war. 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. We need you, so march with us.”

“I agree,” one guard said in response, before emphasizing that he could only follow the group to the end of the block.

“Let the revolution be televised. Let’s make history. March with us,” she said. “It will send a huge message.”

Ultimately, they didn’t march with the protesters, but they did tell Palmer that they supported her aims before eventually kneeling. Other protesters cheered, but Palmer wasn’t especially impressed. “I don’t know,” she said. “It ain’t enough.”