Keke Palmer can "understand" the violence that has followed in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests.
The 26-year-old actress has attended recent protests to fight for racial justice following the death of unarmed Black man George Floyd, and whilst she "couldn’t actually see" herself taking part in the violent side of the protests, she can understand why some people believe lashing out is "their only option".
She said: "When I saw some of the violence, I couldn’t actually see myself doing that because I work from a different place, but I understand it.
"There are people out there who feel like that is their only option in order to be heard, or their only way to have access to something they feel represents value.
"If the language for so long toward you has been violence, how would you expect someone to respond?"
The current protests have been taking place amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and Keke believes quarantine has allowed "us to be more reflective" and not gloss over the issues at hand because of work and other commitments.
She added: "It’s also been a buildup. There have been so many names turned into hashtags, so much pain. It blows me away because our language has progressed – I don’t mean specifically Black people. I mean young people, millennials. Naming white supremacy, saying that out loud."
Last month, the ‘Hustlers’ star made headlines when she was filmed asking National Guard members to march alongside protesters, and has now said she wanted to "connect to the human" behind the uniform.
Speaking about her plea during an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine, she said: "At that moment, I felt like, ‘You’re human like me’. I’m fighting out here, not just for me but for you too, you and the universe. Everything I said came out like word vomit. I know I didn’t let him get a word in edgewise but it was because I wanted him to feel me. I wanted to connect to the human, not the suit, not this robot-ass s**t."