Suzanne Thank You - Tumblr Posts

I was 7 when the first Hunger Games movie came out and watched it within those two years of its release. Rue had always stuck out to me. Rue and Cinna. One because they were two out of three black characters, and two because of the amount of screen time they got.

At the time I didn’t realize it, but now that I’m older the HG movie was probably one of the first forms of media I consumed as a child where a black character wasn’t a stereotype of their race and culture.

What I love about Suzanne’s writing is that at face value her black characters are rooted in stereotypes. At least Thresh and Reaper. But what makes Suzanne so much better than loads of writers, game makers, directors, etc is that her black characters have so much more depth. Thresh and Reaper come off as aggressive and blood thirsty. They also have a stereotypical ‘strong black man’ body type. But what makes them full of depth is that that is not all they are. Both Thresh and Reaper were aggressive to deter the other Tributes from attacking them. They were gentle, kind, and full of mercy when it came to Rue and Dill (and as we saw Katniss and the other Tributes as well). Reaper especially with how he cared for the dead in during his Games.

The sense of community in District 11 that is shown through just four characters is telling. In the movies when they rebelled. Or in the books when D11 sent their loaf of bread to Katniss in gratitude. When that old man saluted Katniss.

I just love that her characterization of her black characters actually hold depth. Especially as side characters. She could have played into ignorance and say that they only served a purpose through their death, but she didn’t.

District 11 will always be my favorite District.

All of the characters of color in the HG universe hold a special place in my heart.

And although Cinna and Boggs are only black in the movies, they’re black in my heart when I read the books too.