SWOT Analysis – The Hate U Give

Michaela St.James Hughes

CYCS 3020 -Community Based Practices

Cristine Yhap

Wednesday September 22, 2021

SWOT Analysis – The Hate U Give
The Hate U Give by George Tillman Jr., 2018 ~ Swot Analysis Notes
Starr Carter Helpful: (For your objective)
Internal: Strengths:
Within the family home  2 bothers, nuclear family.
Micro system Starr looks up to her
parents.
 Nine years old she
received the talk from her
father about Black
Panther 10-point
program, a bill of rights.
 Starr used her voice after
Khalil got killed to show
her community and
authorities that black
people live in fear.
 Her dad’s name Starr
because it emphasizes her
penitential for leadership
in her community. Also,
Starr was the light for her
dad in a dark time for
himself.
 Starr wants to build
courage to speak out in
the community.
 Splitting her identities
Garden Heights, she is
Starr at Williamson prep
she is Star 2.0.
 Starr’s courage might
have not indited one-
fifteen, but she has
galvanized the
neighbourhood and
encouraged residents to
fight for themselves.
 She is calm and driven
 She is brave to keep
pushing and speaking
publicly as a witness.
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Harmful: (For your
objective)
Weakness:
 Starr feels like she cannot
bring Chris to garden
heights or to her home
because he is white
skinned. Not sure how the
community/ dad will
react.
 Starr’s dad has
connections and history to
the King Lords, which
puts her family and
community at risk.
 She was too scared to
speak up because of
possible consequences
from the King Lords she
did not want to put her
father at risk.
 Fear of speaking at
beginning
 Her dad and uncle don’t
like each other.
 Peer pressure
 Texting her parents

SWOT Analysis – The Hate U Give
 Starr has an opportunity
to attend a private school.
External: Opportunities:
Outside the family home  Starr makes room for
Macrosystem change with her voice.
 Goes to Williamson Prep
a wealthy primarily white
school for a proper
education.
 Starr learns to use her
voice speaks on TV about
Khalil.
 Starr joined a protest after
the court jury sided with
officer 115, Starr stated
“Khalil Lived” to reclaim
Khalil’s humanity and
emphasizes Khalil’s life
had value.
 Starr is an out-going
activist for change in her
community.
 Starr’s courage to speak
out for Khalil and
bringing attention to
King’s damaging
influence inspires the
residents of Garden
Heights to speak up
against King.
 She is athletic
 Opportunity to publicly
speak
 Education
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Threats:
 King runs the
neighbourhood,
threatened Starr not to
speak publicly and release
information on the King
Lords.
 King keeps going to the
house and shooting at the
family to scare Starr not
to speak.
 The fire on the grocery
store against Starr.
 Riots
 Drug running in the
community
 Starr acts as Starr 2.0 this
means does not use slang,
uses proper language,
doesn’t act certain ways
so the students at
Williamson does not think
she is ghetto or hood.
 Police target Garden
Height with assumptions
that the community is up
to violence or looking for
a fix.
 Natasha Starr’s friend
gets shot while there
playing it symbolizes
dangers that children must
face while growing up,
but that bullet was meant
for Starr, but the King
Lords missed.
 Hailey is racist toward
black people as Hailey
stated to Starr “Hustle!
Pretend the ball is some
fried chicken. Bet you'll
SWOT Analysis – The Hate U Give

stay on it then.”

Starr Carter is a sixteen-year-old black female from Garden Heights. Who spends her life

divided between Garden Heights poor, primarily black neighborhood, and Williams Prep, which

is a wealthy, primarily white school. Starr has two brothers Seven Carter and Sekani Carter, her

mother Lisa Carter and her Father Maverick Carter. Starr had grown up in Garden heights, being

raised in this environment and community there are a lot of internal factors such as strength and

weakness in the micro system also external factors such as opportunities and threats in the

macrosystem that Starr is as an individual and faces daily.

One internal strength that Starr Carter has is an opportunity to speak publicly. Starr’s

friend had been falsely shot by an officer one fifteen for a traffic stop. Starr had witnessed the

tragedy of her friend Khalil, she was brought into the police station for questioning the detective

kept asking if Khalil was selling drugs, involved with any gangs. Starr had gotten upset as they

were not asking about how he was shot or how it happened or why it led to Khalil being shot.

Ms. Ofrah had gone to Starr’s house to tell her she needs to speak for Kahlil as she was the

witness, it was a family discussion Starr decided to speak for Khalil. Starr was scared but knew

he had to do it for Khalil as Khalil would do the same for her.

Starr spoke stood for Khalil life within her community, protested and used her “weapon”

which is her voice to get justice for Khalil. Starr’s community in Garden Heights all protested

and star said loud “Khalil lived!” to claim his humanity and that Khalil’s life had value. Starr

protested and spoke because students at Williamson Prep started a protest not to show respect to

Khalil but use it as an excuse to play hooky from school. Starr did not agree with this she also

didn’t feel like being treated like the token black person. Starr spoke up to make change with

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SWOT Analysis – The Hate U Give

society across the community to show that black people are targeted more often because they are

black, Starr wanted to show they have equal rights.

One internal weakness is that Maverick and Carlos do not like each other, Carlos is

Starr’s uncle. Carlos took care of Starr and her siblings when Maverick used to be a member of

the King Lords gang. Carlos see’s Star as his own daughter which create conflict between Starr,

Maverick and Carlos. When Starr needs help with things or to be picked up from school Starr

always calls Carlos first which Maverick does not stand by as he sees that he should be doing

those things for his daughter. Maverick has strong beliefs by education Starr on her Black

Power, but he struggles with balancing his values of black liberation, as his values put himself

and his family in danger. As Carlos is a police officer he lives in a home in the suburban gated

community, he also integrates into the white community and encourages Lisa to do the same

with her family which leads conflict with Maverick. Maverick does not want to move away from

his community Lisa does to try and give her children especially Starr a future, as Starr wants the

same it leaves a conflict between them. This puts Starr in the middle of their relationship

between them, as Starr must be cautious of who to go to for certain situations.

One external opportunity is Starr’s education she currently attends Williamson Prep

which is a private school predominately white student. Starr attending Williamson Prep gives

Starr many opportunities for her education such as basketball, a future career, she can go to

college, friends and much more. Starr loves attending Williamson Prep expect for the fact that

she must be Star 2.0, she does not want act like Garden Heights Starr because she does not want

the students at Williamson Prep, to think she is acting “hood or ghetto”. Lisa wanted to put Starr,

Seven and Sekani at Williamson Prep and not because Starr stated, “you always have to be ready

in Garden Heights because Garden Heights will be ready for you, the high school in garden

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SWOT Analysis – The Hate U Give

heights you go there to get jumped, high, pregnant or killed, we do not go there since what

happened with my friend Natasha.” Since the school in Garden Heights is not a good school

Starr received the opportunity to make a future and to get out of garden heights.

One external threat is drug running in the community there is a gang in Garden Heights

called the King Lords, Maverick used to be Kings right hand until Maverick went to jail for the

King Lords. As Maverick Starr’s father still has connections to the King Lord it causes threat to

Starr and her family, Starr feels that her life is in danger when King is around or how King

makes the young kids in Garden heights go into a gang or get involved with drug running. King

sold drugs to Khalil’s mom which made her unstable to take care of Khalil who went to go live

with his grandma. Everyone in Garden Heights who needs drugs, will always go to King and if

they don’t it will create conflict in the community. Khalil worked for King in the King Lords was

not an official member yet, but he listened to King. When Khalil was shot and the detectives kept

asking about Khalil’s role in the King Lords, Starr knew she had to speak up about the King

Lords and put a stop to the Drug community, this way the young kids can grow up in a better

environment. This creates a threat to Starr and the community because King does not like that

Starr is starting to use her voice to release information out on the King Lords to make change in

the community which puts Starr at risk of danger. King will do anything to make sure he does

not go down for a big crime.

This SWOT analysis has beneficial and disadvantages for Starr Carter, with using her

voice she can achieve her objective for receiving equal rights and implement changes in Garden

Heights. Starr is also able to acknowledge her weakness of her father’s and uncle’s relationship

and try to mend their relationship. Also, with Starr going to school at Williamson Prep it offers

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SWOT Analysis – The Hate U Give

Starr a positive future with her education also with what she can do with her path of using her

voice to stand up for others and advocate the voices in her community to change Garden Heights.

References:

The Hate U Give by George Tillman Jr., 2018