Celebrate Black History Month With Film: The Hate U Give!
- Vanna Collins
- Feb 1, 2019
- 2 min read
Start Black History Month with one of the newest film contributions to Black History Culture!
The Hate U Give is a riveting film directed by George Tillman Jr. adapted from Angie Thomas’ acclaimed 2017 novel of the same name. The motion picture follows 16 year old Starr, a black girl from predominately black Garden Heights who attends a white private school in a prestigious white neighborhood. Starr (Amandla Stenberg) witnesses childhood friend Khalil getting shot and killed by a white police officer. initially Starr keeps secret about her involvement as an eye witness however once she shared her account on a national news station by the suggestion of civil rights lawyer April Ofrah (Issa Rae), her identity was made. From here the family shuffles through activism or keeping the street code. After a no bill by the grand jury, a protest takes place in Garden Heights causing Starr to find her voice and standing up for injustice, leading the protest and preventing yet another killing by police.
T.H.U.G L.I.F.E- The Hate You Give Little Infants F’s Everybody is the subtle mantra behind the film which carries a very blatant approach to the double standards in society. I appreciated the context involving the Black Panther movement which is one of the things brought to the forefront early on in the film. Starr’s father initiated the learning of their rights when it came to the judicial system and regular/irregular police stops. Something that may/may not have prevented the killing of Khalil.
The Hate U Give was released in theaters October 2018, shortly after Colin Kaepernick was announced as the face of Nike’s campaign. I was pleased to view the heavy influence of Nike in the film from products like shoes, hoodies and backpacks. As a black women I have more respect for Nike standing STRONG in the support of injustice of minorities/African Americans.
“We got time” one of the quotes from the movie that stuck with me. That was something a childhood friend of mine would tell me. Roy Andy II was a friend that I lost around the same age Starr lost Khalil. We first attended elementary together then high school. He was the funniest kid I knew. Full of joy and always laughing. A year before we were to graduate high school he died by gunshot. It hit me hard- I can’t remember if his son was on the way or recently born but I felt sunken. I lost a vital person in my life, someone that I had known since a child and took for granted would be there in my adulthood with his jokes and strong voice.
The Hate U Give Is now available on DVD, Blu Ray and Digital. A collectors item; a relevant yet timeless piece of history for this generation.
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