Earlier this month America commemorated the 40th anniversary of Dr. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.'s death. Dr. King and those who worked with him wanted all Americans to live and work together in a cooperative effort to make this multiracial, multicultural country the democracy it was supposed to be. It's too bad there are still many among us who prefer continuing a condition of hostilities instead of working toward peace. Each side of the argument that believes they've been wronged tells the other sides "you confess your sins first, then we'll talk."
This is also the 40th anniversary year of an academic experiment that was created because of Dr. King's death. Days after the assassination in April 1968, Jane Elliott a 3rd grade teacher in Riceville, Iowa created an experiment she called "blue eye, brown eye, green eye" to teach her students lessons about racial and ethnic relations.
A forward thinking teacher, Elliott realized that not all of her students would stay in their hometown or state. They would spread out across America and raise their families in a multiracial, multicultural country. The eye color experiment was a way of teaching her students about racial and ethnic relations and giving them a preview of their adult lives.
I experienced the eye color experiment in 6th grade at Saint John Lutheran School during the 1972-'73 school year. Our teacher did not us or our parents about the test ahead of time. The teacher got an earful from our parents about it. They weren't mad, but they wondered why their children came home from school crying. Despite hurt feelings, we learned about each other that day. But I don't know if any of us would now say that the experience changed us at all.
After retiring from teaching, Jane Elliott took the experiment on the road to colleges, universities and corporations. Many TV shows, documentaries and news stories later, Jane Elliott continues to teach and lecture on racial and ethnic relations using the eye color experiment and other methods she has developed and refined during her after teaching career. Jane Elliott has her critics. Some of her former students and adults who have experienced these sessions have said it is a waste of time. Whether you have experienced the experiment or not, it is an emotionally intense experience.
Having dedicated her 2nd career to doing in her own way what Dr. King was doing, I would call Jane Elliott one of the best of us. Happy 40th anniversary Jane and thank you!
Jane Elliott has her own web site at www.janeelliott.com. There is also other information on the internet about this.
Peace and Love,
David Hoover
Defiance