The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Quality Rating: 5 out of 5

"Yet I think it'll change one day. How? I don't know. When? I definitely don't know. Why? Because there will always be someone ready to fight. Maybe it's my turn." (Thomas 443)

Summary:

Starr Carter lives between two drastically different worlds: expensive suburban prep school and poor neighborhood where she lives. She tries to keep these worlds separated as much as possible, through controlling how she speaks, how she acts, and who she invites over to her house (usually her uncle’s, not her own). This separation comes crashing down in the aftermath of Starr witnessing the fatal shooting of Khalil, her childhood best friend, who was unarmed at the time. She tries to find her voice in the aftermath of his death and in doing so, stirs up trouble in the community. The media labels Khalil as a drug dealer and diminishes the actions of the cop who unjustly shot him, instigating the Black Lives Matter movement within their town. Starr handles the movement, her own trauma, and her worlds colliding in the way that she thinks is best.

Stereotypes/Biases challenged:

1. All African Americans are "thugs."

The Hate U Give addresses how labeling African Americans as “thugs” is harmful and discriminatory. Starr’s family bestows new meaning on the term by analyzing how the violence and drug abuse in their own, predominately African American community is a product of systemic discrimination. THUG LIFE or “The Hate You Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody” is a real thing—“What society gives us as youth, it bites them in the ass when we wild out (17).” Some African American youth believe, just as Khalil did, that they have to conform to certain survival tactics within their community (such as cultural assimilation, drug dealing, etc…). Continuously feeding this thinking that they have to resort to a "thug life" is often a lack of opportunities to get themselves out of the situation they are in and better themselves. Starr's father talked about the lack of job and educational opportunities on page 169. Thomas, the author, has experienced instances of violence in her childhood, but was able to "fight" her way out and pursue a career; her life story itself is an example of the resilience of many African Amerians who grow up under oppressive circumstances. Starr's experience with this thug life-cycle is in stark contrast to Thomas' own, but it goes to show both sides of the systemic coin in society today.

2. Interracial dating/marriage is not okay.

Many interracial couples experience a great deal of discrimination. Starr's father showcases this mindset when he meets Starr's boyfriend, Chris, for the first time. Stemming from historically negative biases against African Americans, there is a negative light shed on interracial dating and marriage. Starr and Chris represent the understanding that your relationship with your partner is more important than other people’s opinions. What makes you you is more important than anything society says about you. Though Thomas doesn't have an interracial family, it is important that she included this relationship dynamic in Starr's world to fully showcase the internal struggles she was facing in the wake of Khalil's death.

3. Everyone is equal so there is no need to change anything about society.

Though we may want to believe this statement, it is far from the truth. People of color and those with lower socioeconomic statuses are often considered the bottom of society. They are systematically oppressed, requiring more effort to escape and better their circumstances than would be required for white people. Khalil showcases the inequities in society through his need to sell drugs to support his family. He got tired of deciding between food and electricity, so he started to earn money in order to counteract what his mother was spending on drugs for herself. Starr's parents, on the other hand, pay for an education out of town in order to give her better opportunities in life. The key here is a lack of opportunities for minority groups in America. An individual's circumstances dictate the opportunities presented; not everyone gets the same. Thomas brings to life the fact that the society we live in prides itself on being the "land of opportunity" while historically oppressed populations struggle to obtain freedoms and possibilities that white people often take for granted.

4. One person and/or incident represents the whole group of individuals.

This negative perception of a group of people enables stereotypes to be created and solidified within a community. In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, we are seeing this concept play out with every protest and every cop-related incident. Not every African American is violent and starts looting whenever a protest starts-- a few people have, and some of them just so happened to be African American. Not every cop is bad and/or racist-- a few are. Starr said so herself: "My uncle's a cop. I know not all cops are bad. And they risk their lives, you know?... But I'm tired of them assuming. Especially when it comes to black people (pg. 289)." Social media plays a big part in blanketing our thinking that "one rotten egg spoils the bunch", in a sense. The stories presented to us shape a group of people, let's say African Americans, in a way that promotes the assumption that all African Americans think and/or act in a certain way. Khalil being presumed a thug and drug dealer when the news breaks about his murder and media's gravitation towards that term and his character was just one example. Social media portrayed Khalil as a thug and drug dealer in order to justify his death. Thomas used this narrative to reflect on the reality of how social media shapes our ideals today.

5. If members of a community let others say things that are negative, derogatory, or discriminatory towards another community, those things must be okay to say all the time.

Thomas' use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) throughout the novel showcases that even with the negative connotation associated with this dialect, the message shared is still important and real-- using AAVE doesn’t diminish the meaning of what is shared. The novel still had an important message to deliver to the reader. Starr's point of view highlights AAVE-use as she would have experienced it in the story. Thomas highlights that the more often a black community uses a term or phrase to describe themselves, whether positive or negative, the more normalized it will become and will allow for other communities to adopt that same terminology to define them. This then creates a sense of normalcy around cultural appropriation, which contributes to systemic racism and oppression of black people. Being aware and feeling confident enough to step in and stop cultural appropriation before it goes any further is an important step society as a whole needs to take to ensure true equality. It isn't always easy, but it needs to happen in order to promote a culture of respect towards black people..

Misconceptions I realized I was carrying:

1. If you get stopped by a cop while driving, they will treat you fairly

Even if you do everything right and are calm and collected, there is still the chance that cops will think you are threatening them. African Americans experience more violence at traffic stops than whites, specifically because of the stereotype that they are more prone to aggression. Khalil’s death was just one example of how mislead the cops can be about certain people’s character and actions.

For more information on the role police play in racial discrimination, here are some important links:

1. Taylor, Timothy. 100 Million Traffic Stops: Evidence on Racial Discrimination. St. Paul: Newstex, 2020. https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/docview/2441570091?pq-origsite=summon

2. Stewart, Eric A., Baumer, Eric P., Brunson, Rod K., Simons, Ronald L. Neighborhood Racial Context and Perceptions of Police-based Racial Discrimination Among Black Youth. Wiley Library Online, 2009. https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1745-9125.2009.00159.x

3. Price, James H. & Payton, Erica. Implicit Racial Bias and Police Use of Lethal Force: Justifiable Homicide or Potential Discrimination? Journal of African American Studies. Vol. 21. Pg. 674-683. 2017. https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/article/10.1007%2Fs12111-017-9383-3

2. All African Americans feel comfortable speaking out when injustice occurs

Speaking out against injustice may incur backlash from among members of one’s own race, just as Starr received from King when she spoke out about Khalil. Backlash from other communities is common as well. Facing the threat of negative reactions from both groups would be enough to scare anyone away from wanting to speak up, which is why speaking up takes courage.