Hello, Privilege. It's Me, Chelsea

"Hello, Privilege. It's Me, Chelsea" is a documentary made by American comedian Chelsea Handler.

While known for her comedy, this documentary features Handler tackling the uncomfortable topic of white privilege.

Throughout the film, Handler continues to educate herself on the matter. She consults historians, leaders in the Black Rights Matter movement, voting rights advocates, as well as those who are consistently working for change.

At one point in the documentary, Chelsea visited the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama; the memorial is known for depicting those lost in lynchings and hate crimes in America after the civil war.

image source: https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/memorial

In this film, Handler consults audiences of all kinds: audiences of people of color, and audiences of white people. She gets answers and perspectives from those on the entire spectrum of the issue, from those who believe it exist and are fighting to stop it, as well as those who don't believe it exists and don't know what she's talking about.

This movie made me think of the TV series "United Shades of America" by W. Kamau Bell; it too show-tackles many issues in the United States, including racial disparity and white privilege. To my surprise, Bell makes an appearance in this film.

image source: https://www.cnn.com/shows/united-shades-of-america

Watching this documentary also made me think of a book I read recently, "A Sin by Any Other Name" by Reverend Robert W. Lee, a descendant of the Confederate general Robert E. Lee. He is outspoken on racial matters, on the opposite side of his ancestor. In his book, Lee refers to racism as a sin. His book is a call to action to bring about racial healing, especially from those of us that are white and Christian.

https://www.amazon.com/Sin-Any-Other-Name-Reckoning-ebook/dp/B07D6C7WZ2

The topic of white privilege is an uncomfortable one; yet change will not come in this country until we have these hard conversations. I applaud Chelsea Handler for having the conversation, and for encouraging further discussion.

Now streaming on Netflix, I encourage every American to watch this film. 4 stars.