“What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?” - Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
First of all, this is a disclaimer: this article is not supposed to offend anyone of any color or race.
A couple nights ago I was watching The Hate U Give, which was adapted from the book by Angie Thomas. I read it first, feeling the book had an important message that was worth preaching to a soul, like mine. I won’t bore you with the details, you can get the book from anywhere. The main character, Starr, who is black, witnesses her friend die at the hands of a white police officer. As Starr continues to try to find strength and bravery, she learns the importance of using her strongest weapon: her voice.
This book left an imprint on me. I’m not black, but my heart, especially when watching the movie, ached. Angie Thomas beautifully wrote this book that brilliantly addressed the issues such as police brutality and racism. I believe, without a single doubt, that books like this will start a revolution around the world. Books like Simon vs. The Homosapiens’ Agenda, Thirteen Reasons Why, The Fault in Our Stars, and The Hate U Give.
The movie finally came to the part that ties the entire plot of the story together. Tupac once said “T.H.U.G L.I.F.E” as in “The Hate U Give Little Infants F***s Everyone”. We’ve all heard it, especially as older siblings or as older school students, that the younger ones are always watching and we have to make sure we are setting a good example. It’s not anyone’s fault but our own when a child walks into his classroom and tells his first grader friends a racial slur he was taught that was supposedly funny. When a small boy is talking “locker room talk”, we have to step up and make things right. When we teach our girls, our boys, the children of our nation hate, it bites everyone in the butt.
I thought writing an article based off my passion for this book was fitting, being that this month is Black History Month. We’ve underestimated the power of blacks, the power of any minority. I don’t want to spoil anything but there’s a point in the movie when Sekani, Starr’s younger brother, picks up a gun to save his dad. I cried like a baby at this part. My emotions rose from the ashes, despite the fact that I cried seven times prior. I guess I was stupid to think the well was dry.
I cried when Starr’s friend died. I cried when protests broke out. I cried when she had nightmares. I cried just thinking about the fact that they have gone through all of this before, and still are. Racism has not died. Prejudice has not died. Cruelty has not died. Pure equality is not a thing in America. Love is not the message we’re teaching our kids. How long will it take, how many people do we have to kill, and how much hate do we have to give until we realize that what we’re doing is wrong? We have to use our voice, the one weapon that can move mountains and start earthquakes. It’s time now for the only thing to kill is the toxicity of society. It’s time we stand united, blacks and whites alike, females and males alike, minorities and non minorities alike, and eliminate the hate. There’s so much more we can do. We can give a lot more than hate to people we don’t even know.
Comments