Under the Tuscan Sun

Why ‘The Hate U Give’ Is Not a Black Lives Matter Movie

Some are touting ‘The Hate U Give,’ as “the first Black Lives Matter movie.” Red flags should have gone up the moment we learned that Fox, recently acquired by Disney, was behind the film with a massive public relations budget, footing the bill for hundreds of advance screenings with celebrity guests, marketing swag, and heavy media saturation – especially in Black markets.  We might also wonder about the choice to have Audrey Wells, a White screenwriter whose credits include “Under the Tuscan Sun”  and “The Truth About Cats and Dogs,” adapt an urban Black novel for the screen.