Racial Justice Theme in The Hate U Give Essay Example

Racial injustice is nothing new. It has been happening for hundreds of years in various ways, from slavery to wrongful imprisonment. The majority of people of color have said they are treated less fairly than whites are in their dealings with the justice system. The fight for racial justice has long been lived, and it continues today. The book's theme is fighting for racial justice and righting the wrongs People of color have endured. To quote The Hate U Give, "People like us in situations like this become hashtags, but they rarely get justice. I think we all wait for that one time, though, that one time when it ends right."

Firstly, Starr must fight against the harmful stereotypes that the news and society are placing on Khalil. The news labels Khalil as a drug dealer who threatened a police officer, even though he had no drugs or guns in his possession and did not threaten anyone. ¨The drug dealer. That's how they see him. It doesn't matter that he's suspected of doing it. "Drug dealer" is louder than "suspected" ever will be.¨ Starr describes Khalil with the quote, ¨Once upon a time, there was a hazel-eyed boy with dimples. I called him Khalil. The world called him a thug.¨ This quote shows how everyone refused to view Khalil as a 16-year-old boy who was killed, but instead a drug dealer who was killed. The news only shows the worst parts of Garden Heights, which Khalil was not even from. The news reluctantly tried to find cause and effect for Khalil's murder but would not go to see the officer who killed him. While this issue is significant for Starr to fight against, it is not the only thing she has to fight. 

Starr has to fight against being silenced just because of her skin color. All of the news reports either twist what was said by Starr in interviews or completely ignore what she said. In addition, Starr has to worry about being hurt or killed by the local drug lords and corrupt cops that do not want her to speak her truth. Furthermore, Starr continues to fight for more things than one person should have to do. 

Starr has to fight against the racist microaggressions from her classmates and friends. Starr has to act like a completely different person when she is around classmates and friends because she does not want to be seen as the ghetto black girl with anger problems. Even though it is "Funny how it works with white kids though. It's dope to be black until it's hard to be black." In addition, Starr has to deal with her ¨best friend's¨ racism, as her friend refuses to see the innocence of Khalil along with the racism of what she says to Starr. Thus, Starr is fighting more societal wrongs that one person should have to do, yet this fight has been ongoing for hundreds of years. 

The primary fight in the storyline is for racial justice and to right the wrongs people of color have endured. "I knew that boy. Watched him grow up with you. He was more than any bad decision he made," he says. "I hate that I let myself fall into that mindset of trying to rationalize his death. And at the end of the day, you don't kill someone for opening a car door. If you do, you shouldn't be a cop." When everyone fights together for one cause, it will only help us. Nevertheless, why should one person fight harmful stereotypes that incriminate innocent people, being silenced just because they are different and harmful microaggressions that seemingly have become a part of everyday society?