Jair Hilburn, Editor-In-Chief

During the press tour of the film “The Hate U Give,” members of the cast and crew made an appearance at the Atlanta University Center to give more insight to the movie.

Before “The Hate U Give” became a movie, it was a #1 New York Times Bestseller book by Angie Thomas that follows Starr Carter as she struggles with the following events that occur after she witnesses the death of her childhood friend Khalil.

ATLANTA, GA – OCTOBER 04: A general view of ‘The Hate U Give’ Morehouse College’s Crown Forum at Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Chapel on October 4, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for 20th Century Fox)

Before it was a book, it was a short story that Thomas wrote during her senior year in college. Living a predominantly Black community and attending a school that was predominantly White, Thomas had run into some personal struggles.

“I had to struggle because it was like two different people in two different worlds, and while I was school the Oscar Grant case happened,” Thomas said. “He lost his life in Oakland, and video showed that he was doing nothing wrong when the cop shot him in the back. It led to protests and riots in Oakland when the cop got away with it, but it also led to conversations at my school in Mississippi.”

From those conversations, Thomas started to see what the people at her school understood and what they didn’t.

“One thing my white classmates didn’t understand was why people would mourn an ex-con, and that was the first thing they used to describe Oscar,” Thomas said. “My anger and frustration I decided to write for myself, but some part of me wanted my classmates to understand because so often when we have these cases young men – more specifically young Black men – are often criminalized in their own deaths.”

ATLANTA, GA – OCTOBER 04: Author Angie Thomas onstage during the ‘The Hate U Give’ Morehouse College’s Crown Forum at Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Chapel on October 4, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for 20th Century Fox)

However, she also found inspiration in Rachel Jeantel, Trayvon Martin’s best friend, because when she spoke up for Trayvon while George Zimmerman was on trail Thomas noticed that people weren’t focused on what she was saying but the way she said it.

“They called her ghetto, ratchet, unpolished, but no one called her a hero,” Thomas said. “So I wanted write this to book to say Rachel – and every other girl like Rachel are heros to me. I refuse to let the world continue to dehumanize you.”

Throughout the course of the film and the book, Thomas manages to humanize the life of Starr. As the film progresses, audiences see there is more to her friend Khalil – who is played by Algee Smith – than meets the eye.

“It shows you that he actually had struggles going on that he couldn’t turn anywhere else but to the local gang,” Smith said. “He turns to the only place that the system has set up for him.”

During the scene of Khalil’s death, George Tillman Jr., the director of “The Hate U Give,” takes an unconventional approach when shooting that scene because we wanted to make the audience feel what Starr is feeling in that particular moment.

“I was just really motivated when I saw the Philando Castile shooting in Minnesota,” Tillman said. “It was just a video and it was a young lady inside a car, so I just kept everything through Starr’s point of view looking at Khalil, and it was just pretty much straight ahead shots. I  just shot them looking right at each other as he is looking into her soul and she is looking into his [to] put the audience there and connect with them right away.”

ATLANTA, GA – OCTOBER 04: Algee Smith and George Tillman Jr. interview with student journalists at ‘The Hate U Give’ Atlanta University Center press junket at Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Chapel on October 4, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for 20th Century Fox)

Over his 20 year career, Tillman has always prepared himself for making his films, and for this movie he prepared for “eight or nine months.” However, he threw out all of the time he spent preparing because he wanted the story to be honest.

“It was one of the first times out of making my 20 year career that I just threw everything out,” Tillman said. “The only way you can really be honest is if you bring it from [your heart], so this is one of the first times I just said let me just rely on that.”

As the film follows the life Starr, viewers see how what she’s going through is affecting the lives of those around her particularly her family. Her brother – Seven Carter – has his own issue in the film, but viewers don’t get to see them because of the role the brother plays in his sister’s life.

“As Seven – her oldest brother – you’re always going to want to protect your little sister,” Lamar Johnson said. “Even in spite of what he’s going through he would sacrifice what he’s going through in order for him to make sure that she’s good.”

From another perspective of the family, Regina Hall plays Starr’s mom – Lisa Carter. Hall’s character struggles with whether or not she wants her daughter to be put in the public eye if she were to testify.

“Ideally, you want to tell anyone to speak up, but I think realistically when you’re older you realize what that means the risk that you’re children could face from their community and from their school,” Hall said.

ATLANTA, GA – OCTOBER 04: Actress Regina Hall interviews with student journalists at ‘The Hate U Give’ Atlanta University Center press junket at Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Chapel on October 4, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for 20th Century Fox)

Despite how Starr’s mom feels, Starr continues to keep wanting to fight for Khalil. Hall believes that determination that Starr has comes from Lisa Carter.

“I think that is how your child is motivated to maneuver through life – in the way that you live, so I think the love that she had for her family and the sacrifices that Lisa made make you see Starr make choices that are similar to that, but she’s even a step further,” Hall said. “You want the generation that follows you to have everything that you have. You want to pour into them, so they can do more.

“As scary as it is because you don’t know where that lead, the idea is that you want to instill that, so I think she probably lead by example and then served just a lot of love and strength.”