PBS's Frontline: A Class Divided

The year was 1968. Tension was at an all-time high level. Students didn't like the idea of going to fight a war that made no sense. Racists didn't like the idea that there was a movement to provide equal rights to all colors of man. And the leader of the Civil Rights movement, Martin Luther King, had just been murdered.

Times were tough. The world was insane. One teacher decided it was time to do something.

Her name was Jane Elliott. The lesson she taught her class was unforgettable, and is still being talked about today.

The day after King's assassination, Elliott divided her all-white class into two groups: the blue-eyes and the brown-eyes. She told the blue-eyes that they were inherently superior to their brown-eyed brethren, and gave them privileges that didn't extend to their "inferiors."

The next day, she told the class that she had made a mistake. It was the BROWN-eyed children who were superior.

The lesson had a huge impact on that class, and on the nation that eventually heard about it.

Today's FamilyFirst site lets you view the entire 45-minute television program via streaming media.

Oh, one delightful note: The site says that Windows Media Player is required. However, I was able to view it nicely on my Ubuntu Feisty install. ;-)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/

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