In her documentary White Right: Meeting the Enemy, acclaimed filmmaker and activist Deeyah Khan takes viewers deep into the dark heart of racism in America. By placing herself at the center of violent extremist movements in America, Khan attempts to humanize those who are often considered monsters.
Khan’s confronting approach has already been met with a flurry of vitriolic and threatening messages from those she seeks to understand. However, Khan remains undeterred in her mission to challenge the harmful stereotypes and perspectives that allow such abhorrent ideologies to flourish. Through conversations with supremacists and hate group leaders, she seeks to explore what drives them, and examine whether it is possible for people from opposite ends of the spectrum to come together.
White Right offers an eye-opening look into these extremist groups while shining a light on their extreme views and beliefs. Khan interviews former Neo-Nazis who have since left their hate-filled lifestyle behind, as well as current members of supremacist organizations who argue for more “acceptable” forms of racism. She also delves into questions about free speech and explores how speech can be weaponized against marginalized communities worldwide.
This powerful documentary creates much needed space for important discussions about racism, hate, and understanding in an increasingly divided world. It highlights how hatred is perpetuated through access to technology and social media platforms that dehumanize entire groups of people due to their race or religion. By training her lens on this issue, Khan hopes that viewers will gain a deeper understanding of why extremism exists today—and why we must all work harder together in order to dismantle it.
White Right: Meeting the Enemy is essential viewing for anyone who wishes to make sense of an increasingly volatile political climate. Through this film, Deeyah Khan shows us that there is hope beyond prejudice—and gives us tools to fight against hatred whenever it appears in our society.
