(AllHipHop News) Many actors, actresses, music artists, and athletes have decided to use their celebrity to address political and social issues affecting people in America.
Other famous entertainers have chosen not to publicly weigh in on those subjects at all or at least attempt to support both sides of a potentially controversial topic.
During an interview with Galore, actress/singer Keke Palmer was asked if she felt pressure to speak on the Black Lives Matter movement against police violence and systemic racism.
The star of Akeelah and the Bee, CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story, and Scream Queens took the opportunity to also comment on “hashtag activism.”
“I don’t feel pressure to speak up on issues of my culture but I do hate the emphasis my generation (me included) puts on social media in terms of creating changes within our world,” Palmer told the magazine. “To me, the importance has got to start being less about how many posts we’ve put up on the issues and more about what we are doing in the real world to create future change.”
When questioned if it was fair that, as an African-American performer, she is expected to be aware of issues such as Black Lives Matter but white actresses are not necessarily expected to have to comment on it, Palmer argued that no one in the public eye should feel required to speak out.
“I do have an affinity for community and have a deep care for the younger generation and like to create inspiring yet fun and inclusive projects to propel them forward positively,” said Palmer. “Having said that, an entertainer’s main job is to entertain and I don’t think it is fair to expect an entertainer to be an activist. It’s a great combo when you have it but that is not everyone’s passion, a la Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali.”
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