Sometimes pain can swallow us whole, devouring our light and snuffing out our hope. And, sometimes, pain fuels our souls, awakening strength and power deep from within that propels us to speak our truth and push for change.
The Hate U Give, the College of Charleston’s 2018-2019 The College Reads! book, explores these themes through the story of Starr, an African-American teenager who lives in a poor, predominantly black neighborhood, but attends a wealthy, mostly white prep school, and has to grapple with feelings of grief, anger and confusion after witnessing the killing of her friend at the hands of a police officer.
Incoming freshmen tackled these difficult topics as part of the College’s “convocation conversations” ahead of the fall semester. Tasked with creating a visual representation of a character’s thinking or feeling from a particular moment in the book, students produced a vivid array of images, some of which are on display in Addlestone Library.
To continue the conversation, the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture and the Race and Social Justice Initiative are sponsoring four screenings of the film adaptation of The Hate U Give for College of Charleston students, faculty and staff at the Terrace Theater. The film, which has been available in select theaters, officially premieres in wide release this Friday, Oct. 19, 2018.
The dates and times for the four screenings are as follows:
Saturday, Oct. 20, 1: 30 p.m. Tickets for this screening are available here: https://thehateugivesatcofc1.eventbrite.com
Saturday, Oct. 20, 4:15 p.m. Tickets for this screening are available here: https://thehateugivesatcofc2.eventbrite.com
Sunday, Oct. 21, 1:30 p.m. Tickets for this screening are available here: https://thehateugivesuncofc1.eventbrite.com
Sunday, Oct. 21, 7:05 p.m. Tickets for this screening are available here: https://thehateugivesuncofc2.eventbrite.com
Two free community screenings for the greater Charleston community, also, sponsored by the Avery Research Center, have sold out.
All screenings will be held at the Terrace Theater at 1956 Maybank Highway on James Island. Tickets are on first come, first serve basis. Attendees must arrive by showtime or tickets will be forfeited.
Angie Thomas, author of The Hate You Give, will give a lecture entitled “The Hate U Give: Finding Your Activism and Turning the Political into the Personal” on the College of Charleston campus on Jan. 14, 2019, at 7 p.m. in Sottile Theatre.
Featured image: A collage of student art inspired by themes from ‘The Hate U Give.’
