Entry #2: Self Generated

 In this blog I wanna share with you all about a book I read called "The Hate You Give" Starr Carter, 16, alternates between the wealthy suburban prep school she attends and the impoverished area where she lives. When Starr sees her childhood best friend Khalil being shot and killed by a police officer, the delicate balance between both worlds is upended. Khalil didn't have any weapons.

His death makes national headlines not long after that. He is being referred to be a thug, possibly even a drug dealer and gangbanger, by some. In Khalil's honor, demonstrators are taking to the streets. Starr and her family are being threatened by some police officers and the local drug lord. What actually happened that night is what everyone is interested in learning. Starr is the only living person who can respond to that. However, what Starr says or doesn't say could completely alter her community. It can potentially put her life in jeopardy.

In The Hate U Give, it is examined how racism and violence towards black people are rationalized by using misconceptions about them. White communities, including the pupils at Williamson Prep, where Starr attends school, are shielded from institutional racism, which supports discrimination, by these assumptions. 

The way One-Fifteen (the police officer) justifies killing Khalil is where we can see this prejudice the most plainly. Other than One-Fifteen's assumption that Khalil is violent because he is black, there is no other reason for One-Fifteen to believe that Khalil's hairbrush is truly a gun. One-Fifteen's version of events, however, is supported by the media and numerous white characters because, by defending him, they shield law enforcement from accusations of racism.

Uncle Carlos, One-Fifteen's coworker and Starr's uncle, first supports One-Fifteen's conduct before understanding that he had attempted to rationalize shooting Khalil in the wrong way. One-Fifteen's behaviors are racist, but the media tries to cover it up by making them seem rational and hence acceptable. For instance, press reports highlight Khalil's supposed gang affiliations, promoting the idea that black youths are aggressive and dangerous. Starr's friend from Williamson Prep, Hailey, believes Khalil was nothing more than a criminal after hearing these rumors. Khalil's death's media circus exemplifies how white media puts the protection of law enforcement and maintaining stereotypes ahead of black lives.

The book places a strong emphasis on the necessity of speaking up in order to change unjust systems. Starr's choice to testify before the grand jury and raise an objection on behalf of Khalil is where we most clearly see this motif. When Maverick ( starr's dad) explains the cycle of the THUG LIFE to Starr, he names some of the main strategies to modify the system as resistance and speaking up. Because of the systematic prejudice in the legal system, Starr realizes that if she keeps quiet about what she knows, Khalil would never receive justice. Only if people call attention to the injustices in the system will it change.