Brown Eyes Blue Eyes & CRT

Brown Eyes Blue Eyes & CRT

Brown Eyes Blue Eyes& CRT andrea minear BEF 650 Critical Race Theory Dr. Nirmala Erevelles Interim 2008

April 4, 1968Martin Luther King Jr.was assassinated by James Earl Ray YouTube - King, Jr., Martin Luther, assassination of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk Dream http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivrjiQlewk8

“I teach something in class and I meet it in real life the next day.” Dr. Nirmala Erevelles For Jane Elliot, she met something in real life and was determined to teach it the next day.

“Dirty Nigger. Look a Negro.”Frantz Fanon, The Fact of Blackness “Negroes weren't as smart as white people. They weren't as clean. They fought a lot. Sometimes they rioted. They weren't as civilized. They smelled bad.” Jane Elliott’s 3rd Grade Students’ Perspective

Brown Eyes, Blue EyesThe Eye of the Storm On a Friday in April 1968, Jane Elliot began an experiment that would be practiced, lauded and criticized for years. She would set her students up to experience the pain of racism and discrimination. She set herself up for years of abuse that grew out of her teaching to many, an exercise in Social Justice. 1984 A Class Divided (Frontline)

Racism is not limited to Black and White Americans Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes - Jane Elliott • April 1968 (the original experiment) • 1970 The Eye of the Storm • 1984 A Class Divided (Frontline) • 1996 Blue Eyed (Americans/Kansas City) • 2001 Angry Eye (Young Adult Americans) • 2002 The Stolen Eye (Australia) • 2004 Eye Opener (Great Britain) • 2005 Indecently Exposed (Canada)

“I think white people aren't aware that racism isn't just wearing white hoods and burning crosses. It's also fixing the system so that black votes don't get counted. It's refusing to open the polling places in precincts where most of the eligible voters are people of color. It's outlawing affirmative action at the state level even though it has proven successful. It's building more prisons than we build schools and guaranteeing that they will be filled by targeting young men of color with things like the "three strikes" legislation in California, and the DWB -- "driving while black." … It's the fact that there are more children attending segregated schools in the U.S. today than there were previous to Brown vs. Board of Education. It's white flight and red-lining by financial institutions. It's television programming that portrays people of color as villains and white people as their victims. It's ballot-security systems, which are used to intimidate minority voters and so result in the very activities which they are supposedly designed to prevent. “ Jane Elliott

Inherited by our young. Ingrained in their psyche Reinforced by schools catering to the affluent suburban crowd Offering business math, statistics, algebra and trig Teaching German, French, Japanese, Spanish, and Latin But not welcoming those who speak a different language, or wear different clothes Or wear different colored skin. They go to the school of no choices. Not challenged. Not praised. Not enriched. They drop out. The rates are inequitable Just as are their circumstances The United States of America, the home of the free and the brave Built of Democratic stone, bought with Capitalist money. Where all men are equal under the law – all White men (women and black men -not human, mere property.) The United States of America Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free Have we forgotten? When we gonna see; it’s not just you and me? It’s our world. So what can we do? Def Racism It’s not just you; it’s not just me It’s civilization; it’s our society. If you could be ANYONE other than you, who would you choose to be? A president? A man on the moon? A man in the street? If you had to live the life of someone different from you, whom would you choose? A Mexican? A Black man? An Indian? A Jew? People shake their heads, “I’m not a racist,” they say. I don’t burn crosses. I don’t wear sheets. I don’t hurt anyone. THEY do it to each other. Who are they? A Mexican? A Black man? An Indian? A Jew? An old woman says “I’m tired of all this racist talk. Things are better.” “Ain’t no more lynchings.” A young man sneers, “So, you’re taking a RACE class. I’d like to see that textbook.” “They got more rights than white folks.” The abuse is silent, but deafening. A stare. Pursed lips, furrowed brow, rolling eyes, turning head. Silence. Overpowering stillness. Torturous, abusive, Invisible hate. andreaminear 2008

“You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught”South Pacific, Rodgers and Hammerstein You've got to be taught To hate and fear, You've got to be taught From year to year, It's got to be drummed In your dear little ear You've got to be carefully taught. You've got to be taught to be afraid Of people whose eyes are oddly made, And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade, You've got to be carefully taught. • You've got to be taught before it's too late,Before you are six or seven or eight,To hate all the people your relatives hate,You've got to be carefully taught! • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHKzn8aHyXg&NR=1

Therefore, in this paper, I argue that… Many members of the dominant (white) culture do not understand the harm that racism spreads. If they are not an active participant in a specified hate group, they may not recognize themselves as part of the problem. “I have black friends,” they might say. Yet they put their houses up for sale when the neighborhood becomes too colorful, or when the racial ratio tips out of their favor in their local school. I believe that in order to empathize, persons must experience. To truly understand OPPRESSION, we must put ourselves into an “OTHER’s” shoes. Once we understand, we must DO SOMETHING!

Conceptual Framework Changes can only occur if the system changes (if Whites surrender supremacy) The norm is Whiteness. Everything else is "Other" Listen to the stories. Racial Realism Cultural Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes Social & CRT Historical Mimicry/ Assimilation Visibility/ Invisibility How can persons of a dominant culture truly understand oppression of an "Other"? Colorblindness Racism as Historical Law/Politics Racism is Structural Colonization Cultural Capital Economic Violence of the body/ Bodies as Property Many of the concepts contained herein straddle two or more areas

Elements ofCritical Race Theory Cultural Social Economic Mimicry/ Visibility/Invisibility Assimilation Racial Realism Colonization Colorblindness Violence of the Body Listen to the Stories Bodies as Property Cultural Capital Law/Politics Racism is Structural Changes can only occur if the system changes (if whites surrender supremacy) The NORM is Whiteness -- Everything else is “OTHER” Racism as Historical Historical

GIVEN: The NORM is Whiteness Everything else is “Other” The Only way that change can occur is to change the structure of the whole system. Because there has been a system of oppression since the beginning of time, it is unlikely that the dominant culture is willing to give up their dominance to equalize the “Other.”

Listen to the Stories Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes Oprah (1992) An Exercise in Prejudice If an hour's worth of propaganda can convince 300 audience members, what other lies might we fall prey to? That was Jane Elliott's point exactly. A Sincere ApologyBrown-eyed audience member: Jane Elliott spoke earlier about how we were supposed to be here learning a lesson today. I think the lesson I learned is, the girl who was with me has blue eyes and the minute we walked in the door this morning, I cut my losses. As soon as someone in power told me to unload her, I did, and I went right off and I didn't challenge anybody. It's the same thing that happened in Nazi Germany 50 years ago, and that's the lesson I learned today, and I apologize. http://www.oprah.com/presents/2005/20anniv/oprah/oprah_moments_284_106.jhtml

When they came for the Jews, I was not a Jew, so I did nothing… When they came for the Homosexuals, I was not a Homosexual, so I did nothing… When they came for the Gypsies, I was not a Gypsy, so I did nothing… Finally, when they came for me, there was no one left to do anything. Lutheran Minister during the Holocaust Do Something

Racism is Structural • Racism – Culturally, not biologically, defined • It is a Political concept, created as a category and comprised purely for differentiation. • Racism was spawned as a social/political tool to separate and explain inequality. • Racism contains/encompasses class. YouTube - A Girl Like Me Featurette YouTube - Black doll White doll http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAOZhuRb_Q8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybDa0gSuAcg&feature=relateds

The structure has a firm hold. Parents cite racism in Lee's hometown By Desiree Hunter The Associated Press Published Sunday, May 25, 2008 Tuscaloosa News www.Tuscaloosanews.com

Racism as Historical Colonization  Need for a working class Cultural capital  Not valued Bodies as Property/Violence of the Body  Maintain servitude Hyper-visible/Invisible  No Social Value. No Escape both at the same time Fanon wanted to be seen as a man and only a man, but “before I can even articulate myself, I am already defined by my skin.” This hyper-visibility co-exists simultaneously with the invisibility of lacking voice and agency. A black man cannot hide because his skin betrays him, yet he is not seen because he has no power.

Does My Town Have a Racist Past?How students can convert the shameful history of sundown towns in America into a rich opportunity for setting the record straight. By James W. Loewen author of The Lies My Teacher Told Me Published Spring 2008 Teaching Tolerance Illustration by Tonya Engel www.Teachingtolerance.org http://www.tolerance.org/teach/magazine/features.jsp?p=0&is=42&ar=891 Loewen offers a way to introduce (genealogy) study (research), and use the information as a learning tool.

Why Do We Persist? • In the debriefing, Elliot asks one boy what made him treat the “others” so badly. He replied that he felt like a “King” and he had power and it felt good. This seems to illustrate Fanon’s concept of tension between the master/slave. A master cannot be a master without a slave. The slave gives power to the master. • Power is powerful. • It feels good. • Power generates corruption (hate).

Mixed Messages • Mimicry – • Here, take my culture. Be like us, but you will never BE us. And certainly, don’t try to rock the boat. I want my voice to be heard and respected. • Assimilation – • Act White – be like us, fit right in I am proud of my culture. I celebrate my Blackness. • Colorblindness – • See, we all follow the same rules. “I want to be seen as a man.” But my Blackness (Fanon), the scars in my skin (Spillers) cannot be hidden.

Classroom Simulations: Proceed With Caution By Ingrid Drake The Associated Press Published Spring 2008 Teaching Tolerance Illustrated by Chris Silas Neal www.Teachingtolerance.org http://www.tolerance.org/teach/magazine/features.jsp?p=0&is=42&ar=896

Even though Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes and other classroom social simulations are highly debated and criticized, we still need to KNOW what racism does to our society. We cannot KNOW by merely being told. We must experience in order to be empathetic. We must be empathetic in order to make an effort to make a change. I believe a little change is better than none.

Changing Attitudes Miss Jones’ Class List Byron Allen 128 Kyonte Billings 130 Keisha Brown 125 Xavier Holland 150 Jimmy Johns 142 Marsha Mays 133 Olivia Smith 138 Etc., etc, etc…

Racial RealismI do not want to agree with Bell In some ways, I understand the ideology behind Racial Realism. We all need to get real and live (survive) within our parameters, but there are two issues that cause me great angst: 1) ALL white people do not have ulterior motives (interest convergence). There are some white people who genuinely enjoy people of many different varieties and want to be allies in the quest for a better life. 2) There must be hope of something better. Hope and faith can help get you where you want to be.

Referencesand Resources

Jane Elliott Sample Video Clips Eye of the Storm Clip: http://www.gsssi.com/server/es_sample.htmlA Class Divided Clip: http://www.gsssi.com/server/cd_sample.htmlBlue Eyed Clip: http://www.gsssi.com/server/be_sample.htmlAngry Eye Clip 1: http://www.gsssi.com/server/ae_sample.htmlAngry Eye Clip 2: http://www.gsssi.com/server/ae_sample2.htmlThe Stolen Eye Clip: http://www.gsssi.com/server/se_sample.htmlIndecently Exposed Clip: http://www.gsssi.com/server/ie_sample.htmlEye Opener Clip: http://www.gsssi.com/server/eo_sample.html

Blue Eyed Experiment With Adults in Kansas (Teachers, Administrators, Police, Social Workers) OlhosAzuis - 01 -- 9:00 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwfUeMIGfdk OlhosAzuis 02 -- 9:36 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwfUeMIGfdk&feature=related OlhosAzuis 03 -- 8:46 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6GcLu9h_Zw&feature=related OlhosAzuis 04 -- 8:35 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OMF29mCdPM&feature=related OlhosAzuis 05 -- 7:16 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvLqfrffIN8&feature=related OlhosAzuis 06 -- 7:21. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu0C8mjufmg&feature=related OlhosAzuis 07 -- 7:29 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ3U8wp9ncU&feature=related OlhosAzuis 08 -- 9:00 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmjk6vimwto&feature=related OlhosAzuis 09 -- 8:59 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ywUhVu3pKg&feature=related OlhosAzuis 10 -- 6:46 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSba16NE1h4&feature=related OlhosAzuis 11 -- 5:21 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLgtEu2q0ec&feature=related OlhosAzuis 12 -- 2:05 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUaT1QWxRo8&feature=related)

Other Video Clips About Brown Eye http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvDJl_BLEnc&feature=related-- 7:18 A Girl Like Me Girls discuss the characteristics of being an African American girl http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17fEy0q6yqc&feature=related-- 7:15 ************************************************************************************** The Stanford Prison Experiment -- 1971 What happens if you put good people in a bad place? 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o0Nx31yicY&feature=related 9:59 2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCsgwcIil7I&feature=related 9:59 3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU6r4mNZ8g0&feature=related 8:35

Brown Eyes Blue Eyes & CRT