Injustice
Action
Starr witnessed Khalil, her best friend get shot and killed by a police officer, just because he went to see if she was doing alright
“I blink through my tears. officer one-fifteen yells at me, pointing the same gun he killed my friend with.” (Thomas. 24)
Starr had been trained for what would happen with police officers. The moment Khalil's death flashed before her eyes, she could see how priviledged white people were, and the injustice and the lack of freedom that came to her senses.
after Hailey’s “fried chicken” joke and encouragement, Starr enrages thinking Hailey’s words were racist, causing Hailey to mention Khalil, replacing the words with “drug dealer”
“You can say something racist and not be a racist! (Thomas. 112)
With the current situations occurring around Starr, it is difficult for her to joke around. "fried chicken" is a stereotype around black people that were used during their slavery, so it caught Starr off-guard
Hailey started accusing the late Khalil as the "drug dealer who was killed", shocking Starr because of the betrayal and shock hearing from her friend. it also upsets her on how thats how people see and stereotype some black people.
Character
Starr claims to act “normal” in Williamson, while in Garden heights, she feels free to speak slang. she feels like she has to be a different person
“slang makes them cool, slang makes them ‘hood’. williamson starr holds her tongue when people piss her off so nobody will think she’s the ‘angry black girl” (Thomas. 71)
She doesn't want people treating her differently, saying if they found out her true self, they would think or act differently around her
Idea
A lot of racism is what the book mainly focuses on, the struggles of receiving justice and freedom people of colour deserve
“‘Everybody wants to talk about how Khalil died,’ I say. ‘But this isn’t about how Khalil died. It’s about the fact that he lived. His life mattered. Khalil lived!’ I look at the cops again. ‘You hear me? Khalil lived!’” (Thomas. 412)
Praying that will make a difference, after the police officer was freed, Starr decides to step up during the riots, saying Khalil deserves his freedom and justice because he lived, and died for no reason.