Episode 91: Too Dangerous for Schools? Jane Elliott’s Exercise That Could Save Us
Update: 2025-10-06
Description
What happens when a teacher turns her classroom into a living lesson on racism? In 1968, the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, Jane Elliott—an elementary school teacher in Iowa—divided her all-white third graders into “blue eyes” and “brown eyes.” What followed shocked the children, outraged the nation, and became one of the most infamous and influential social exercises in American history.
In this explosive conversation, Jane Elliott joins Off the Couch with Dr. Greg to revisit her groundbreaking “Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes” exercise, explain why it drew as much fury as praise, and reveal why the lessons from that single classroom are more urgent today than ever before. Is America ready to face the truths she exposed over 50 years ago—or are we still running from them?
#JaneElliott #BlueEyesBrownEyes #AntiRacism #DiversityEducation #ListenNow #OffTheCouchWithDrGreg #RacismInAmerica #EqualityForAll #EndPrejudice #SocialJustice #HumanRights #InclusionMatters #ConfrontBias #JimmyKimmel
Articles/Resources:
Jane Elliott’s website: https://janeelliott.com/
A Class Divided, Then and Now, Expanded Edition (book) https://bit.ly/AClassDivided-ThenandNow-
VIDEO: Frontline: A Class Divided (1986) https://bit.ly/AClassDivided-fulldocu...
VIDEO: Documentary: The Angry Eye (2001): https://bit.ly/THEANGRYEYE-YouTube
VIDEO: The Oprah Winfrey Show (1992) https://bit.ly/BlueEyes-BrownEyesAnti...
VIDEO: Eye of the Storm (1970) https://bit.ly/EyeoftheStormJaneEllio...
Do the “Eyes” Have It? A Program Evaluation of Jane Elliott's “Blue‐Eyes/Brown‐Eyes” Exercise (2006) https://bit.ly/ProgramEvaluationofJan...
Lesson of a Lifetime https://bit.ly/LessonofaLifetime Jane Elliott in Wikipedia https://bit.ly/JaneElliottWikipedia
A Look at “Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes” How Far Have We Come? https://bit.ly/LookatBlueEyes-BrownEy...
Colleges Must Keep Hosting Difficult Speakers https://nyti.ms/42fRR0s
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
Explore the podcast
In this explosive conversation, Jane Elliott joins Off the Couch with Dr. Greg to revisit her groundbreaking “Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes” exercise, explain why it drew as much fury as praise, and reveal why the lessons from that single classroom are more urgent today than ever before. Is America ready to face the truths she exposed over 50 years ago—or are we still running from them?
#JaneElliott #BlueEyesBrownEyes #AntiRacism #DiversityEducation #ListenNow #OffTheCouchWithDrGreg #RacismInAmerica #EqualityForAll #EndPrejudice #SocialJustice #HumanRights #InclusionMatters #ConfrontBias #JimmyKimmel
Articles/Resources:
Jane Elliott’s website: https://janeelliott.com/
A Class Divided, Then and Now, Expanded Edition (book) https://bit.ly/AClassDivided-ThenandNow-
VIDEO: Frontline: A Class Divided (1986) https://bit.ly/AClassDivided-fulldocu...
VIDEO: Documentary: The Angry Eye (2001): https://bit.ly/THEANGRYEYE-YouTube
VIDEO: The Oprah Winfrey Show (1992) https://bit.ly/BlueEyes-BrownEyesAnti...
VIDEO: Eye of the Storm (1970) https://bit.ly/EyeoftheStormJaneEllio...
Do the “Eyes” Have It? A Program Evaluation of Jane Elliott's “Blue‐Eyes/Brown‐Eyes” Exercise (2006) https://bit.ly/ProgramEvaluationofJan...
Lesson of a Lifetime https://bit.ly/LessonofaLifetime Jane Elliott in Wikipedia https://bit.ly/JaneElliottWikipedia
A Look at “Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes” How Far Have We Come? https://bit.ly/LookatBlueEyes-BrownEy...
Colleges Must Keep Hosting Difficult Speakers https://nyti.ms/42fRR0s
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
Explore the podcast
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