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ANGIE THOMAS, ‘THE HATE YOU GAVE’

“We know the truth, that’s not what we want,” says Daddy. “We want justice.”

People like us in situations like this become hashtags, but they rarely get justice.

And we won’t stop getting fucked till it changes. That’s the key. It’s gotta change.

That’s why people are speaking out. Because it won’t change if we don’t say something. We can’t be silent.

This is about Us, with a capital U; everybody who looks like us, feels like us, and is experiencing this pain with us despite not knowing me or Khalil. My silence isn’t helping us.

“Right. Lack of opportunities.”

“That’s the hate they’re giving us, baby, a system designed against us. That’s Thug Life.”

That’s the problem. We let people say stuff, and they say it so much that it becomes okay to them and normal for us. What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?

And at the end of the day, you don’t kill someone for opening a car door. If you do, you shouldn’t be a cop.

I know not all cops are bad. And they risk lives, you know? I’m always scared for my uncle. But I’m tired of them assuming. Especially when it comes to black people, assuming that we were up to no good. Because we’re black and because of where we live.