Origins & Early Life

Jane Elliott (née Jennison; born November 30, 1933) is an American diversity educator. As a schoolteacher, Elliott became known for the "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes" exercise she created to teach students about the effects of discrimination and racial stereotyping. She first conducted the exercise with her third-grade class on April 5, 1968, the day after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The local newspaper's publication of compositions that the children had written about the experience led to much broader media interest in it.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The classroom exercise was filmed in 1970, becoming the documentary The Eye of the Storm. PBS series Frontline featured a reunion of the 1970 class, as well as Elliott's work with adults, in its 1985 episode "A Class Divided". Invitations to speak and to conduct her exercise eventually led Elliott to give up school teaching and to become a full-time public speaker against discrimination. She has directed the exercise and lectured on its effects in many places throughout the world. She also has conducted the exercise with college students, as seen in the 2001 documentary The Angry Eye.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Elliott was born in 1933 to Lloyd and Margaret...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• 13th Dalai Lama — Contemporary (Died in 1933) (1933): Spiritual leader of Tibet who championed national independence and modernization.
• Adolf Loos — Contemporary (Died in 1933) (1933): Pioneering architect and theorist of modernism, known for his critique of ornamentation.
• Adolph Caesar — Contemporary (Born in 1933) (1933): Acclaimed American actor known for his deep voice and Off-Broadway staple status.
• Ajahn Buddhadasa — Shared historical date (05-27 · Born) (1906): Pioneering Thai Buddhist monk known for reinterpreting doctrine and fostering religious reformation.
• Arthur Moritz Schoenflies — Shared historical date (05-27 · Died) (1928): Pioneering German mathematician known for topology and group theory applications.
• Akihito — Historical peer (Born in 1933) (1933): 125th Emperor of Japan; reigned during the Heisei era (1989-2019).
• Ali Shariati — Historical peer (Born in 1933) (1933): Influential Iranian sociologist and philosopher known for Shariatism.
• Ajay Devgn — Historical peer (Born in 1968) (1968): Veteran Indian actor and filmmaker known for diverse roles in Hindi cinema.
• Alexander Gettler — Historical peer (Died in 1968) (1968): Pioneering American forensic toxicologist and father of modern medicolegal investigation.
• Abraham Maslow — Historical peer (Died in 1970) (1970): Pioneering American psychologist known for the Hierarchy of Needs and self-actualization theory.
• 1933 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1933
• May 27 (05-27) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on May 27