Starr's Hoodie

The hoodie Starr is wearing at Big D's party the night Khalil is shot represents the real life Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. BLM is a resistance movement formed in response to the 2012 shooting of black teenager Trayvon Martin. Martin was wearing a hoodie on the night of his death, and the media used this fact to implicate Martin in his own death - the hoodie supposedly made him look suspicious enough for his shooter to be frightened for his life. Several characters in The Hate U Give imply that Khalil may be partially responsible for his own death as well.

Black Jesus

Black Jesus is used in the novel as a symbol of black identity and faith. The Carters have a picture of Black Jesus in their home, and when they pray together as a family, they address Black Jesus. This is a pointed...