Queen Latifah and Keke Palmer have joined forces for the new film Brotherly Love. The family-centric film explores the lives of several Philadelphia residents as they pursue their dreams and deal with harsh reality.

BET sat with Latifah, who produced the film, and Palmer, who stars, to talk about their mentor-protege relationship, the sacrifices each made to get where they are, and about a particular scene in the film — in which a Black kid is harassed by a white cop — that rings tragically true in the wake of so many instances of police brutality splashed across headlines.

Also read: First Look At Queen Latifah As Queer Jazz Icon Bessie Smith

On that last topic, Latifah had a lot to share.

As a daughter of a police officer, I knew more stories of things happening in the right way rather than the wrong way, but you don’t really hear those stories.”

Palmer adds that the film aims to “humanise” the young Black men so often perceived to be a threat by law enforcement and vigilantes.

The multi-talented music icon hopes the film will help put things in perspective when it comes to cops pulling guns on teenagers. “We have to see kids as kids, not as big, scary adult men,” she says.

Brotherly Love is out in theatres on April 24.