Jane Elliott on Her "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes Exercise" and Fighting Racism

Summary

In this powerful interview, Jane Elliott discusses her eye-color exercise to teach people about discrimination. She emphasizes the importance of acknowledging race and the need for education to combat racism. Elliott shares her personal experiences since starting the exercise post-Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination and stresses the significance of recognizing our shared humanity.

Takeaways

• 👁️ Jane Elliott's exercise separates people by eye color to simulate discrimination based on physical traits.
• 📚 She assigns blue-eyed individuals to a lower status to demonstrate unfair treatment.
• 🧠 Jane uses the myth of intelligence differences based on eye color to highlight irrational biases.
• 🌐 She challenges the concept of 'whiteness' as a norm, emphasizing that true white people are rare.
• 🇹🇿 Jane points out the plight of albinos in Tanzania to illustrate the harsh reality of color-based discrimination.
• 🗣️ Jane advises against claiming to 'not see color' when talking to people of color, as it denies their identity.
• 👗 She humorously critiques those who claim to be color-blind but dress poorly, implying hypocrisy.
• 📅 The exercise began the day after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, inspired by the need for empathy.
• 🏡 The impact of the exercise was profound, leading to social ostracization and personal losses for Jane and her family.
• 📚 Jane emphasizes the importance of self-education to combat indoctrination and promote understanding.
• 🌍 She concludes with the message that all humans are part of one race, the human race, with a shared ancestry.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of Jane Elliott's exercise with the eye color?

The primary purpose of Jane Elliott's exercise is to give participants, specifically white people, an idea of how it feels to be treated unfairly based on a physical characteristic over which they have no control.

How does Jane Elliott categorize people in her exercise?

In her exercise, Jane Elliott separates people into groups based on the color of their eyes: blue eyes, brown eyes, and a low class for those who don't have blue or brown eyes.

What is the false claim Jane Elliott makes about brown-eyed people to demonstrate inequality?

She falsely claims that brown-eyed people are smarter, more worthwhile, more Christian, and better human beings than blue-eyed people because they supposedly have more melanin protecting their brains from sunlight.

Why does Jane Elliott emphasize the myth of one race and the myth of the rightness of whiteness in education?

She emphasizes these myths to highlight how they perpetuate racial inequality and to challenge the notion that whiteness is inherently superior or 'right'.

What does Jane Elliott suggest people should not say when talking to people of color?

She suggests that people should not say 'I don't see color' or 'I just see people as people' when talking to people of color, as it denies the reality of their racial identity.

Why does Jane Elliott find the statements 'I don't see color' or 'I'm color-blind' problematic?

She finds these statements problematic because they deny the racial identity of people of color and imply that their skin color is not an important part of who they are.

When did Jane Elliott start her exercise with the third graders?

Jane Elliott started her exercise the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, which was in April, following his death in 1968.

What was Jane Elliott's reaction to the media's portrayal of black leaders after Martin Luther King Jr.'s death?

She was shocked and dismayed by the media's insensitivity and the questioning of black leaders' ability to maintain unity and express appropriate emotions.

What personal consequences did Jane Elliott face after starting her exercise?

Jane Elliott faced significant personal consequences, including losing friends, being ostracized by colleagues, her parents losing their business, and her children being abused by their peers and teachers.

What does Jane Elliott recommend as the first step to fix racial inequality?

Jane Elliott recommends educating oneself as the first step to fix racial inequality, suggesting that what people learned in school was often indoctrination rather than true education.

What message does Jane Elliott want people to take away from her work?

Jane Elliott wants people to understand that there is only one race, the human race, and that all humans are closely related, sharing a common ancestry that is black.

Outlines

00:00

👁‍🗨 Eye Color Discrimination Exercise

Jane Elliott discusses her eye color discrimination exercise where she separates people based on their eye color to simulate the experience of unfair treatment based on physical characteristics. She explains that she assigns blue-eyed individuals to a lower class and falsely claims that brown-eyed individuals are superior due to a lack of melanin in blue-eyed people. This exercise is used to challenge the myth of racial superiority and educate people about the impact of racism. Elliott also addresses the misconception of 'not seeing color' and explains that such statements are invalidating and dismissive of a person's racial identity.

05:03

📚 The Impact of Racism and Education

Jane Elliott shares her personal story of starting the eye color discrimination exercise after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. She explains the severe backlash she faced, including losing friends, social ostracization, and threats to her family's livelihood. Despite the personal cost, she emphasizes the importance of self-education to combat racism and the myth of racial superiority. Elliott concludes with the message that there is only one human race and that all humans are closely related, regardless of skin color, which is a result of adaptation to different environments rather than racial differences.

Keywords

💡Racism

Racism refers to the belief that one race is superior to others, often leading to discrimination and prejudice. In the video, the speaker addresses racism by discussing the unfair treatment based on physical characteristics such as eye color, which is used as a metaphor for racial discrimination. The exercise she conducts with her students is designed to give them a glimpse into the experience of being treated unfairly based on a superficial characteristic.

💡Discrimination

Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. The video discusses discrimination through the lens of a classroom exercise where students are divided by eye color to simulate the experience of being treated differently based on an arbitrary characteristic.

💡Melanin

Melanin is a pigment that determines the color of our skin, hair, and eyes. In the video, the speaker uses the concept of melanin to explain the myth of racial superiority, stating that the amount of melanin in one's eyes is used to justify the false claim that blue-eyed people are less intelligent than brown-eyed people.

💡Color-blindness

Color-blindness, in the context of the video, refers to the practice of some individuals claiming not to see race, which the speaker argues is a form of denial of a person's identity. The speaker criticizes this notion, stating that to say 'I don't see color' is to deny the very existence and experience of people of color.

💡Privilege

Privilege refers to unearned benefits that members of a dominant group have over marginalized groups. The video touches on privilege when discussing how white people are often unaware of the advantages they have in society simply because of their race, which people of color do not have.

💡Miseducation

Miseducation is the act of providing incorrect or inadequate information, often with harmful consequences. The speaker accuses the educational system of supporting myths about race and white superiority, which she believes is not true education but rather indoctrination.

💡Human Race

The term 'human race' is used in the video to emphasize that there is only one race to which all humans belong. The speaker argues against the concept of multiple races and for the idea that all humans are closely related, sharing a common ancestry.

💡Cousins

In the video, the speaker uses the term 'cousins' to illustrate the genetic closeness of all humans, stating that everyone is related to each other as 30th to 50th cousins. This is used to counter the idea of racial differences and to emphasize our shared humanity.

💡Indoctrination

Indoctrination is the process of teaching someone to accept a set of beliefs uncritically. The speaker claims that schools indoctrinate students with myths about race rather than educating them to think critically about these issues.

💡Self-Education

Self-education is the process of educating oneself independently. The speaker encourages individuals to educate themselves about race and racism, using the knowledge they gained in school as a foundation to seek out the truth and challenge societal myths.

💡Melanin and Intelligence

The video script mentions a false belief that the amount of melanin in one's eyes affects intelligence, suggesting that blue-eyed people have less melanin and are therefore less intelligent. This concept is debunked as a myth used to justify racial discrimination.

Highlights

Jane Elliott's exercise separates people by eye color to demonstrate unfair treatment.

Brown-eyed people are initially placed in a higher class.

A baseless claim is made that brown-eyed people are smarter due to melanin levels.

The exercise challenges the myth of racial superiority.

Jane suggests that there are no 'white' people, challenging the concept of whiteness.

The plight of albinos in Tanzania is mentioned to illustrate the absurdity of racial distinctions.

It's highlighted that saying 'I don't see color' is dismissive of a person's racial identity.

Teachers are critiqued for claiming not to see race.

Jane humorously points out the hypocrisy of claiming to be color-blind.

The exercise began the day after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination.

The exercise was inspired by the Sioux Indian prayer about not judging others.

Jane's personal loss due to her work, including the impact on her family.

The exercise led to Jane being socially ostracized.

Jane's children faced abuse as a result of her work.

The importance of self-education to combat racial ignorance is emphasized.

Jane's message is that there is only one human race.

The concept of race is a social construct, not a biological one.

Jane's hope is for people to recognize our shared ancestry.

Transcripts

-Jane Elliott, thank you so much for being on our show.

I appreciate it.

For those not familiar with your work,

can you explain what you do?

-I separate groups of people

according to the color of their eyes

in order to give them some idea -- white people --

some idea of how it feels to be treated unfairly

on the basis of a physical characteristic

over which you have no control.

I use blue eyes, brown eyes,

and anybody who doesn't have blue or brown eyes

simply goes in the low class.

I accuse brown eyed people,

who I always put on the top the first day,

of being smarter,

more worthwhile, more Christian,

better human beings than blue-eyed people are,

because everybody knows that blue-eyed people

have too little melanin in your eyes,

and so it allows too much sunlight to enter your eyes

and damage your brain cells.

And that's the reason blue-eyed people aren't as smart

as brown-eyed people. Does that make sense to you?

-No.

-That's the thing that makes this exercise necessary,

is the fact that we in education support the myth of one race

and the myth of the rightness of whiteness.

-How would you talk to or tell or ask white people

to talk to each other about racism?

-The first thing I ask people to do

is realize that there are no white people

on the face of the earth,

now, unless you are an albino,

and if you want to know how that goes, then you look up Tanzania.

Google Tanzania

and look at what happens to albinos in that country.

It's absolutely terrifying and indecent.

However, it's practically what happens

to people of other color groups in the United States of America.

We don't cut them in little pieces,

we kill them in front of cameras.

When you're going to talk to people of color,

the first thing you don't say is,

"When I see people, I don't see people as black or brown

or red or yellow. I just see people as people."

And teachers in schools all over the United States

say that every year.

At least several teachers are saying that to their students.

They say, "I don't see people

as black or brown or red or yellow."

They never put the word "white" in there,

because it's alright to see white, you see.

And when you talk to a person of color,

you have no right to say,

"When I see you, I don't see you black."

And you have no right to say to some ugly female like me,

"I'm color-blind."

And I've dozens and dozens of white women walk up to me

and say, "I'm not racist. I'm color-blind."

And I say, "I knew that you were color-blind before you said it,

because if you weren't color-blind,

you wouldn't wear that shirt with those pants."

-[ Laughs ] -Now...

they take exception to that,

and they walk away very quickly and very angrily,

because I have accused them of lying to their very face.

People who say to me, "I don't see color,

or who say to a black person, "I don't see you as black,"

are saying, "I have the freedom

to deny the largest organ inch by inch on your body

which is your skin."

Now, if you can't see my skin, you can't see me.

It's time for people

to take those phrases out of their lexicon.

-When did you start the exercise,

and with third graders, right?

-The day after Martin Luther King Jr. was killed.

He had been one of our Heroes of the Month in February,

and he was dead in April.

And we were learning the Indian unit at that time.

Our lesson plan for the next day

was to learn the Sioux Indian prayer

which says, "O Great Spirit, keep me from ever judging a man

until I've walked a mile in his moccasins."

I was taking the teepee

that my previous third graders had made home.

I was going to wash it and dry it

and iron it on the living room floor.

I walked in my door. The telephone was ringing.

I held the phone. It was my sister.

She said, "Is the television on?" I said no.

She said, "You better turn it on." I said, "Why?"

She said, "They killed him."

And I said, "Who'd we kill this time?"

because we were in a killing mood at that time.

And she said, "Martin Luther King Jr."

And then my world stopped for about 3 seconds.

And I'm sorry, but, you know,

you're not supposed to get all like a soup sandwich,

but whenever I remember that moment in my life,

that is one of the most tearing moments in my life,

because he was trying to make things better for all of us,

not just for black people, and we killed him,

because he and Malcolm X were coming closer together.

And if they had united,

they would have changed this situation,

make no doubt about that.

So they both had to die, and they were killed.

And so I had to go into my classroom the next morning

and explain to my students why Martin Luther King Jr. was dead,

and I didn't know how to do it.

I watched television that night,

and I saw Walter Cronkite

interviewing three leaders of the black community.

And he said to them,

"When our leader was killed, his widow held us together.

Who's going to keep your people in line?"

I was shocked and dismayed

that he would ask those black males that question,

so I changed the channel. And there was Dan Rather

saying to three leaders of the black community,

"Don't you black pe-- you Negroes --

Don't you Negroes think

you should feel sympathy for us white people

because we can't feel the sorrow at -- the anger --

the anger at this killing that you black people can?"

I -- At that moment,

I wadded up the teepee that I was ironing on the floor.

I threw it into the closet.

And at that moment, I decided that not only was I going

to teach my students the Indian prayer the next day,

"O Great Spirit, keep me from ever judging a man

till I've walked in his moccasins,"

I was going to arrange to have it answered for them.

I was going to allow some of my students

to walk in the shoes of a child of color

in my classroom for a day.

Now, I didn't know how this exercise would work.

If I had known how it would work,

I probably wouldn't have done it.

If I had known that after I did that exercise,

I lost all my friends.

No teacher would speak to me

where they could be seen speaking to me,

because it wasn't good politics

to be seen talking to the town's only N-word lover.

My parents lost their business.

They owned a lunch room in a hotel.

My children were spit on.

Their belongings were destroyed.

They were physically and verbally abused by their peers,

by their teachers, and by the parents of their peers.

because they had an N-word lover for a mother.

-What steps can we take to fix this problem?

You've been doing it for 50 years.

-Educate yourself.

You didn't get educated in school.

You got indoctrinated in school.

Now use what you learned in school to educate yourself.

-If there's one thing that people can take

from what you're saying, what would you like it to be?

-[ Chuckles ] I'd like it to be there's only one race

on the face of the earth, the human race.

We are all members of the same race.

You and I are 30th to 50th cousins.

Whether you like it or not,

you are one of my 30th to 50th cousins,

because we have the same ancestor back there,

300,000 to 500,000 years ago, and they were black.

The only reason you have light skin

and the only reason I have lighter skin

is because those black people, those brilliant black people,

left the area of the equator and moved.

And as they moved farther and farther from the equator,

their bodies produced less and less melanin

so their skin, their hair, and their eyes got lighter.

They didn't become members of a different race.

They simply became people whose bodies reacted

to the natural environment.

-I cannot wait to see you in person.

Thank you so much again.

-Well, thank you for calling.

-Bye, Jane.