Jane Elliott
Noted ‘blue eyes-brown eyes’ lecturer to speak here March 2; community dialogue on race and racism is companion event
Jane Elliott, a former teacher and award-winning speaker who is known internationally for her “blue eyes-brown eyes” exercise, will speak at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 2, in O’Shaughnessy Educational Center auditorium.
Elliott, who has received the National Mental Health Association Award for Excellence in Education, developed her “blue eyes-brown eyes” exercise more than 30 years ago in response to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Participants in the exercise, which she first performed with her third-grade students, were asked to judge others as inferior or superior only on the basis of eye color. It exposed participants to the experience of being members of minority groups and demonstrated prejudice, bigotry and an irrational class system based upon arbitrary factors.
The lecture is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by St. Thomas ’ All College Council, and Students for Justice and Peace. For more information, call Emily Kessel, (651) 227-0350; Amy Graff, (651) 962-6134; or Denise Dieffenbach, (651) 962-6463.
UST’s Multicultural Student Services and Personal Counseling will host a companion event, “It’s Time to Talk: A Dialogue on Race and Racism.” Members of the UST community are invited to the dialogue, to be held at two times: noon-1 p.m. Thursday, March 2, in Room 304, Murray-Herrick Campus Center, and 3 to 4:30 p.m. Monday, March 6, in the Fireside Lounge of Koch Commons. Questions? Call Multicultural Student Services, (651) 962-6460.
