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Writer's pictureHolly Treble

The Infamous "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes" Anti-Racism Exercise | The Oprah Winfrey Show | OWN

Almost 30 years ago Jane Elliot's lesson was brought forth to the world by Oprah Winfrey.


In this 1992 Oprah Show episode, award-winning anti-racism activist and educator Jane Elliott taught the audience a tough lesson about racism by demonstrating just how easy it is to learn prejudice. Watch as the audience, totally unaware that an exercise is underway, gets separated into two groups based on the color of their eyes. The blue-eyes group was discriminated against while the people with brown eyes were treated with respect. Jane says she first started this exercise in her third grade class back in 1968, the day after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. For more on #oprahwinfreyshow, visit http://www.WatchOWN.tv/TOWS

Courtesy of OWN Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebPoSMULI5U


In 1968, Jane was a third grade teacher in Iowa and the woman behind the “Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes” experiment. Our 80-minute interview took place at her home in California, during the interview, she became emotional three times: for her husband, her father, and Martin Luther King Jr. You may not agree with everything she believes in but you can absolutely agree with much of what she says. More behind the scenes here: https://www.oneiconmedia.com/jane-elliott

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