When my social work senior seminar class said we were going to go see "The Hate U Give" as a class I was so excited. I had seen amazing previews and reviews of the film and I was glad I'd get to see it with my classmates and professors so that we could all talk about it in class. The movie, and novel it's based on focuses on the institutionalized racism and police brutality that has been getting more media coverage over the past couple of years. There is clearly an issue with our system and "The Hate U Give" finally brings attention to the problem.

The movie follows the story of Starr Carter and the aftermath following the murder of her friend Khalil Harris. Starr and Khalil are hanging out and driving around town when they are stopped by a young, white police officer. Starr tries to cause as little trouble as possible because she knows the dangers that may befall her, Khalil isn't as aware and is fatally shot because the police officer thought his hairbrush was a gun. The police officer realizes what he has done, but it is too late and Khalil dies in Starr's arms.

Starr constantly has to balance her two lives, and two versions of herself. There's the Garden Heights Starr that lives in a predominately black, low-income area and then there's Williamson Prep Starr who goes to private school with the rich white kids. Actress Amandla Stenberg does an incredible job of portraying the real struggles that a young black woman has to deal with in our society today. She tries to stay true to her Garden Heights roots but also wants to fit in with the white kids at school. That's an incredible amount of pressure to be under, to appear as she 'should' and code switch for all the different people in her life, while also having to deal with the tragic death of her childhood friend.

"The Hate U Give" is literally one of the best movies I've ever seen.

I think every single person should see this movie, especially with our current political and social climate.

It talks about the glaring issues surrounding police brutality, the intimidation, and the bogus #BlueLivesMatter movement. There are scenes that bring attention to the institutionalized racism that is laced throughout our culture that most times, a lot of people don't even give a second thought. This movie gives a voice to the black community, especially young black women, that don't see a lot of much-needed media coverage. "The Hate U Give" also calls white people out on their racist bullshit and the microaggressions, verbal and nonverbal actions that carry negative and derogatory connotations, whether it's intentional or unintentional, that a lot of individuals continue to engage in and contribute to.

This movie is such a powerful, important film that George Tillman Jr. brought to life based on Angie Thomas' incredible 2017 novel. As a society we need to consume more media like "The Hate U Give", it reminds us that we all do have a voice, and we can all make a change.
#BlackLivesMatter