Original version

BBC World Service East Asia

Witness History

Podcasts

Factual: Life Stories

Factual: History

History as told by the people who were there

History as told by the people who were there.

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

Witness History: The ‘Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes’ anti-racist exercise

Documentaries

The ‘Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes’ anti-racist exercise

19/06/2020 GMT

BBC World Service - Witness History, The ‘Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes’ anti-racist exercise

A teacher decided to separate pupils according to eye colour to teach them about racism.

In 1968 US school teacher, Jane Elliott, decided to separate her all-white class according to the colour of their eyes in an effort to teach them about racism.

When Dr Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968, US school teacher, Jane Elliott, decided to try to teach her all-white class about racism.  She decided to segregate them according to the colour of their eyes, and treated them differently.  Although controversial from the start, the “blue eyes/brown eyes” teaching exercise has been adapted in schools and workplaces for diversity training ever since.  Jane Elliott has been explaining to Rebecca Kesby why she still thinks the model has value today in defeating racial prejudice.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Witness History

The ‘Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes’ anti-racist exercise

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service East Asia

About BBC World Service