Hannah Roe

03/06/19
2nd hour
The Hate U Give
Starr Carter has been living a double lifestyle, switching back and forth between two
worlds. Her family lives in Garden Heights, a black neighborhood that struggles with poverty
and violence, but her and her brother attend Williamston, a mostly white prep school that’s forty-
five minutes away. Starr is completely aware of the double-sided personality this lifestyle
requires. She said, “Garden Heights is one world, Williamston is another, and I gotta keep it
seperate. So when i’m here i’m Starr version two. That means flipping a switch in my brain,”
(Thomas). When she is home she is known as Ms. Tough girl, but at Williamston she has to be
Ms. Classy basketball star. These acts burst after she witnessed a police officer shoot her
innocent childhood best friend. Throughout the movie Starr is pressured from her community to
find her voice and stand up for what’s right. The Hate U Give is an empowering movie that
explores the issues revolving social injustice in the form of racism.

One thing Starr had to face was the feeling of not fitting in at a preppy school like
Williamston. Surrounded by white people, she felt like such an out-cast. In the movie, she
thought she couldn’t embrace her true self without being forenuated from everyone else. For
instance, she said, “Williamston Starr doesn’t use slang. If a rapper would say it she doesn’t,
even if her white friends do. Slang makes them cool. Slang makes me hood. Williamston Starr is
approachable, no stank eyes or yelling cuz Williamston Starr is non confrontational. Basically,
Williamston Starr doesn’t give anyone a reason to call her ghetto. And I hate myself for doing
it,” (Thomas). This shows the direct line that separates the ways whites and blacks are being
portrayed. It highlights the fact that there is a direct label when it comes to your race. In the
movie, whites are looked at as the more superior race and can do whatever they want. While
blacks have to take precautions and make sure what they are doing isn’t going to be looked at in
a negative way. Overall showing, there is a social injustice in not truly being able to be yourself
because of the mindset that your race defines you.
Another thing Starrs had to endure upon was the “police talk” that all the kids in the
neighborhood recieved. She was nine years old at the time when her dad sat her and her older
brother down and said, “When it happens don’t act mad, you gotta look calm. Answer their
questions, but don’t tell them anything extra. Keep your hands out of your pockets, if you drop
something keep that sh*t where it’s at. Now one day you’ll be with me and you best bet we
gonna get pulled over. That don’t mean I did something wrong, maybe I made a mistake driving,
but maybe I ain’t do nothin at all. You gonna see me with my hands like this, on the dash board.
Now you keep your hands posted cus moven makes the police get all nervous. It can get real
dangerous so don’t argue with them, but keep your hands where they can see them. And just
because we have to deal with this mess, don’t you ever forget that being black is an honor, you
come from greatness. Know your rights. Know your worth,” (Thomas). This is a very impactful
quote because it shows the mindset of most black people. They fear the police force even when
they have done nothing wrong. Starr’s dad is so used to being treated like a criminal to the point
where he assures his kids that they will soon be pulled over and treated with disrespect too. This
quote shows how much social injustice there is in the world and how it all correlates with the
color of your skin.

When we tell black people that what they are feeling is not real we are only playing into
the social injustices that happen everyday. Black people deserve to not feel unsafe because we
are the land of the oppressed, we are the land of the free. When we oppress people and how they
feel they are being treated we are just making the social injustice more of a reality. People should
not have to live in fear of the police force. According to an article on social justice, “Stories of
police harassment and violence in black communities are common. Young black men are 21
times more likely to be shot and killed by police than young white men. They are more likely to
face ongoing everyday slights and indignities at the hands of police. The underlying causes run
deep: Black people often see police as the face of larger systems of inequality in the justice
system, employment, education, and housing,” (Hannah-Jones). This quote in itself is a prime
example of why we need to fight this social injustice. No One should be two times more likely to
experience some sort of hatred when we claim that we are an equal country.
On the other hand, some people believe the act of racism isn’t actually occurring in
society. That the present generation has been born over sensitive and have been raised to look for
the negative in people's actions. That in today's society people are putting up a front and using
their race as an excuse for their behavior. In comparison to The Hate U Give, some people
believe Khalid should have just kept his hands up and not leaned into the car for a hairbrush.
However, if you like it or not you can’t argue that bias is indeed engraved in us all. We all have
our moments where we are quick to judge someone before even meeting them. When we first lay
eyes on someone it’s in our human nature to make assumptions about that person. Most of the
time we base it off of what their wearing, their smell, their appearance, their income, their home
life, and in some cases by the color of their skin. Although some people think we as a generation
were born overly sensitive, we know that’s not all that true. In today’s society the main goal is to
make sure we value everyone's opinions and feeling. We strive to make sure everyone is at peace
with themselves, no matter what.

As can be seen, The Hate U Give effectively highlights the concern of citizens not getting
the justice they deserve. This social issue has been a hot topic, especially within the last few
years. The concern of feeling less superior than other races, having to worry about police
brutality, and the overwhelming difference in ratio of whites vs blacks police shootings all have
been viewed as having racist demeanors. This film helps acknowledge these concerns and
suggests that the way we deal with them are inaffective and only spreads more hate. What would
you do if you thought someone was reaching into their car for a gun? Would you risk it or would
you play it safe and shoot? Would it matter their gender? Would it matter their race? You can sit
here and say that you would never shoot anyone, but until you have been in such a predicament
you won’t truly know how you would respond.

Works Cited Page

Hannah-Jones, Nikole, “TAKING FREEDOM: YES, BLACK AMERICA FEARS THE

POLICE. HERE'S WHY,” April 10, 2018.
https://psmag.com/social-justice/why-black-america-fears-the-police March 7, 2019.
Thomas, Angie, director. The Hate U Give. HarperCollins. February 27, 2017.