Keke Palmer has been many things since she was a child, including an actress, singer, and activist. On Wednesday, January 20th Keke is set to be one more thing as she hosts an inaugural first: a curated livestream for youth titled “Our White House: An Inaugural Celebration for Young Americans” which will take place before and during the inauguration ceremony starting at 10 a.m. EST. The event will also feature a message from Dr. Jill Biden. Check her out here:
Keke walks the talk—on many levels. One of her most recent BLM protests has received a lot of attention, thanks to her persuasive speech directed towards national guard members tasked with protecting an area in Hollywood, CA. Keke talked to the guard members about how the current US government benefits from dividing the people. She wanted them to know that they didn’t need to align with those ideals. Instead, she implored them to join their march, and prove that people can be united even in spite of our differences. The guards did not end up joining the march, but they did show their support for the protest by taking a knee. While many protestors celebrated this action, Keke said that it was something, but she had wanted more.
In various interviews, Keke expressed what she was feeling in that moment and explained her actions. She wanted the national guard members to protect those involved in the protest, prioritizing human lives above their work, which was protecting the buildings. She understood it was their job, but she wished they had shown their support to human rights above everything else. She also noted that it was particularly important to reach these national guard members because of their power. Keke reflected that these guards had power: the ability to protect, save, or even take lives. So, while she appreciated their kneeling, she still wanted the guards to prove that they were on the side of the people, not the government.
It does not surprise us here at Real Black Grandmothers to find that Keke Palmer has been powerfully impacted by her grandmother. In her book, “I Don’t Belong to You: Quiet the Noise and Find Your Voice,” Keke recollects on the vital role her grandmother Mildred Ivy West Davis played during her youth. Keke shares, “She literally lived right behind our house when I was growing up. I would run through a withered forest-y pathway (think of the movies by the director Harmony Korine) to get to her house and every time I made that trip, it felt magical to me, like a fairytale, because on the other side I could see my Grammy.” She has fond memories, such as her grandmother giving her hot chocolate and claiming it was coffee, or how she would occasionally go thrift shopping with her, which they both enjoyed. Keke remembers that Grandma Davis taught her how to pray (the Lord’s prayer). Keke would ask her grandmother to sleep with her, and her grandmother would always respond by reading the Bible next to her until she fell asleep. Keke would awake the following morning and see that her grandmother never had slept in that bed. Keke doesn’t even know when her grandmother slept, or if she even did. With some time to reflect on that, Keke thinks that Grandma Davis didn’t sleep because of an anxiety that runs in the family. She knew her grandmother spent a great deal of time worrying about the family, but managed to relax through church and prayer.
Keke says that, in another life, she would work in hairstyling. She enjoys the creativity involved and being able to communicate with a variety of people. But one of the most important reasons she would be a hairstylist is because it is what her grandmother did. She shares, “My grandmother was a hairstylist. She had a beauty salon, and that’s how she took care of my mom’s family.” Keke has an eternal appreciation for all that her grandmother has done for their family.
https://thereal.com/2018/12/12/keke-palmer-reveals-what-she-would-be-doing-if-she-werent-acting/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19KySdNN6QU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tdVf-iEjOU
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