Keke Palmer is having a moment.

The actress, singer, author and podcaster — among other titles — has been a mainstay on our screens since she was a young actress in movies like “Akeelah and the Bee” and “Jump In!” We’ve also seen her grow into more mature projects like the Jordan Peele film “Nope” or hosting the red carpet at the Met Gala.

The Chicago-area native recently returned to the city to celebrate natural hair and Black Heritage Month at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, and she’s on a high after starring alongside SZA in the country’s No. 1 comedy flick “One of Them Days.”

Issa Rae’s motion picture debut is sitting pretty with a near perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. The Black, female-led buddy comedy is a departure from the typical commercial, Blockbuster-types that don’t highlight Black women friendships, gentrification or cycles of poverty.

“It’s a movie about friendship, about community,” Palmer said. “At the core of it, in life — wherever you are — things are going to happen and it’s about who you have by your side that helps to get you through.”

Palmer credits the success of the movie to the rise in visibility of Black media creatives like Issa Rae, Quinta Brunson and Jordan Peele.

Peele, the comic-turned-horror-movie-producer, pushed Palmer out of her comfort zone in “Nope” — asking her to wear her natural hair to signal the film’s underlying message of forgotten Black iconography.

The actress still loves “a wig or weave moment,” as she puts it, but she also dove headfirst into embracing the natural look. Palmer now serves as the chief brand officer for curly and coily hair brand Creme of Nature.

“It was kind of like a love story coming back again for me and my hair, for my journey, really figuring out all the different types of styles that I could do with it,” Palmer said. “It’s empowering when you can know what to do with your hair and when you have products that allow you the freedom to try new things.”

As for what’s next, the host of the “Baby, This is Keke Palmer” podcast strives to continue her work in the natural hair world and uplift women and girls to be their best selves.

“The big thing with my brand is that I think it should extend outside of myself,” Palmer said. “I love performing, so I’m always going to perform but I would like to also extend what that brand means to others in a way that feels tangible.”

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