The Story of LOVE and HATE: Ruth E. Carter Styles Do the Right Thing

maya brooks Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art

ne of the first films my father ever made me watch was Do the Right Thing. I was about eight years old, and my family had just moved farther into the suburbs of Atlanta. My father thought it would be an appropriate time to teach me what he called “the truth” about life, since the film addresses young people navigating racial tension and police violence. He also simply thought it was one of the best films ever and that I “wouldn’t know good cinema” without viewing it. I suppose he was right.

I couldn’t focus on the film’s message back then because it was too nuanced for my young understanding. However, I always appreciated the film’s visuals and cultural details, led by Ruth Carter’s styling. My favorite scene, even today, is “The Story of LOVE and HATE,” a monologue delivered by the late great Bill Nunn as the character Radio Raheem. Raheem’s costume is featured prominently in the NCMA’s current exhibition, highlighting Carter’s collaboration with local artists like NaSha, who designed the character’s Brooklyn-themed T-shirt. Other elements of the costume that mark its significance, not only to the film but pop culture at large, are the gold-plated knuckle rings Carter sourced at the Fulton Street Mall in downtown Brooklyn.

Radio Raheem used these custom-made rings that spell out the words “LOVE” and “HATE” to create the optics of a boxing match while speaking. Underscored by Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” in the background, the character portrays love and hate as a fight between one hand and another. At the end of the speech, he lifts his arms and declares, “Left-Hand Hate KOed by Love.” This scene was culture, politics, and social dynamics all wrapped into these gold-plated rings. It was hip-hop. It was everything to me and continues to be.

Radio Raheem’s knuckle rings, Queen Ramonda’s isicholo, and more award-winning movie costumes are featured in Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design, open now through August 6.