5-1 Discussion

The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 prompted educator Jane Elliott to create the Blue Eyes and Brown Eyes exercise. Elliott first conducted the anti-racism experiment on her all-white third-grade classroom by splitting her students into two groups based on eye color. What happened next proved that prejudice is a learned behavior, which means that it can be unlearned.

Several documentaries and many articles have been written about the Blue Eyes and Brown Eyes experiment. The PBS documentary A Class Divided reunites Elliot with the children from the experiment 30 years later to get their impressions and recollections.

Choose either the Blue Eyes and Brown Eyes experiment or another classical experiment in psychology related to diversity with children.

Using what you have learned, use the following to guide your discussion responses:

● Describe the experiment and its message. ● Explain the ethical issues that might be present in conducting this

type of experiment with children and how it is different from adult participants.

● Explain what the experiment communicates about cultural sensitivity, lifestyle differences, and diversity.

●

This documentary shows you what discrimination feels like and how we can develop empathy toward everyone we come across. As you watch this film, can you relate to anything be said? Have you ever been discriminated against? How would you offer empathy in a situation like this? Further, consider how this film might impact our world today, which has become divided over so many events, such as COVID and the presidential election.