Is This Teacher's 'Exercise' of Value?

Jane Elliott - Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes
creator and facilitator

     Ms. Jane Elliott has been conducting a workshop called Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes since 1968. She has done workshops all across the country, and in several other countries as well. 
     I've heard from several people on the subject of her workshops,  and the general consensus is that while her idea was a great one her way of going about it, of teaching non-minorities what it means to be 'of color', was not.

     I disagree.

     I'm not saying that there aren't other methods she could have used, I'm sure she could have thought of other ways to try to make the point that people of color suffer everyday in ways that non-minority people have no clue about, and cannot hope to ever understand. I don't believe she could have come up with another method that would have driven the point home as deeply or as quickly as this one did. She put people into the position that people of color are in everyday, and made them feel (at least to a point) the helplessness that many people of color feel throughout their adult lives.    

     Now, I didn't see the entire exercise carried out; I wish I had. I would have liked to have seen what happened before this video began  just to see exactly how the brown eyes vs. blue eyes exercise worked. From the looks and statements of some of those who were assigned the role of the minority, they had suffered some wounds that they never knew anyone could suffer and still survive.  In my opinion, some of those who took part in the exercise left with a newfound respect for the strength that it takes to be a person of color and to have to live with the shadow of racism and bigotry hanging over their head. Of course there were others who were determined to not be affected by the exercise; to not allow themselves to feel but instead to logically talk away their knee-jerk reaction. I believe it was because something ugly inside them had been brought to light and they didn't like it. They were determined to talk it away; to make excuses for it, to say it wasn't there, to call it anything but what it was: racism.

     Will this young lady learn anything from this exercise? Probably not. She will continue to cry, and continue to deny the existence of what so many others see right in front of their faces. For most of us, I think we realize that denying the existence of racism, or pretending that it doesn't affect us, will not make it go away.  Like Ms. Elliott says "Don't deny differences. Accept them, appreciate them, recognize them, and cherish them; they are extremely important."                                                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                                    If  you want to see what the Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes Workshop is all about, click here.  
Ms. Elliott is in no way affilitated with the author of this post or with Live From Bikini Bottom.     
Credits: ORIGINAL: By Jane Elliot. Found on Modernjournalism. Viewed on: Upworthy