I had the opportunity to go see “The Hate U Give” this Saturday with other students of the College, thanks to the Black Women’s Organization. Coming into this movie, I expected there to be many emotions evoked from the audience, and as I suspected, there was not a dry eye coming out of the theater. This movie was inspired by the book that was published in February 2018 by Angie Thomas. Although the movie wasn’t identical to the book, it was still effective in displaying an emotional yet necessary message across to the audience. The primary message I took away was that being a Black person should not suggest that my voice should be muted, regardless of what the situation is.
For those who have yet to see the movie, the baseline is similar to many headlines that we’ve read too many times: “An Unarmed Black Male has been Shot by the Police.” These unarmed shootings have become more common in society, leaving the Black community to grow restless and full of questions.
There was a scene right after the boy got shot where they showed his mother in the worst way possible. The mother was an active drug user who came on camera obviously grieving for the loss of her son, but also obviously not in the right state of mind during the interview. She was on camera barely clothed and screaming about her frustrations. The media portrayal of disgruntled Black people and Black neighborhoods seem to always be shown in the worst ways possible. People on the outside looking in will never get the full story.
Starr, the main character, went to a majority white private high school to avoid the stereotypical outcomes produced by the public high school in her own community. At her school, she dealt with the struggles of being a Black girl in a white person’s environment. When Starr posted pictures on social media of Black people who have died in the hands of police officers or white supremacists, her white friend Hailey comments under the post saying, “Really Starr?” as if her posts were inappropriate. Hailey later on in the movie talks about how Starr is changing and is not the person she used to know. Her white character feels uncomfortable and threatened by the posts that are discussed. Because Hailey feels uncomfortable about the unfortunate events that took place at the hands of her white counterparts, she thinks Starr should not have posted the picture. Challenging others who may have different opinions than you demonstrates that you believe in what you stand for and will stand firm in your beliefs, and that is exactly what Starr did. When Hailey came up to Starr after their fallout to try to converse about it, Starr was fed up with her offensive talk and took matters into her own hands and switched the script. Starr grabbed her hairbrush and acted as a police officer demanding Hailey get on the ground and stop crying. This is the closest situation her white privilege will ever allow her to feel this scared by authority.
“The Hate U Give” is one of those movies that really sticks with you. The message is too deep and powerful for anyone to turn a blind eye to. The message of peace and justice for all communities and all people is what really matters.
Austrella Balley, a Contributing Writer for the Voice, can be reached for comment at ABalley21@wooster.edu.