topic sentence / point / illustrate / explain
The Hate U Give examines the way society uses stereotypes of black people to justify violence and racism against them.
The novel shows that stereotypes protect white communities from reflecting upon systemic racism, which perpetuates discrimination. We see this prejudice most clearly in how One-Fifteen defends his murder of Khalil. One-Fifteen has no reason to think Khalil’s hairbrush is actually a gun other than One-Fifteen’s presumption that Khalil is violent because he is black. However, the news media and many white characters endorse One-Fifteen’s version of events because by protecting him, they protect law enforcement from accusations of racism. That is why uncle Carlos, Starr’s black uncle on the same police force as One-Fifteen, also initially defends One-Fifteen’s actions before realizing he wrongly tried to justify the shooting of Khalil. The media works to disguise the racism in One-Fifteen’s actions by portraying them as logical and hence justified. For example, news coverage emphasizes Khalil’s alleged gang connections, perpetuating stereotypes of black boys as violent and dangerous. Upon hearing these reports, Hailey, Starr’s Williamson Prep friend, concludes that Khalil was nothing more than a thug.
This demonstrates how white media prioritizes protecting law enforcement and perpetuating stereotypes over black lives. Through this depiction, Angie Thomas is able to provide social commentary and the reader is able to see the hypocrisy of stereotyping people.