Home / Arts and Entertainment / Jane Elliott: 90 and Still Fighting Racism
Jane Elliott: 90 and Still Fighting Racism
29 Jan
Summary
- Jane Elliott uses eye color exercises to expose racism.
- Her methods aim to awaken white people to absorbed beliefs.
- The film highlights her ongoing activism against historical scrubbing.
Filmmaker Judd Ehrlich's documentary, "Jane Elliott Against the World," captures the enduring spirit of educator Jane Elliott, now 90. Elliott, known for her "Blue Eyed Brown Eyed Exercise," developed this method as a third-grade teacher in Riceville, Iowa, to help white students grasp the experience of prejudice and discrimination.
Her exercise divides students by eye color, conferring privileges on one group while subjecting the other to unequal treatment. This experiential learning aims to reveal the nature of power and privilege, confronting participants with their own absorbed racist beliefs.
Elliott's approach is deliberately confrontational, intended to "wake people up" to societal structures and ingrained beliefs they may not recognize. The film also highlights her continued activism, particularly in the current climate where some administrations seek to remove discussions of race from educational settings.
Responding to accusations of inducing guilt, Elliott's stance, as relayed by Ehrlich, emphasizes "responsibility" over guilt. She asserts that teaching the country's true history, even if uncomfortable, is a necessary undertaking. The documentary premiered at Sundance on Tuesday and continues to screen at the festival.
