This seminar helped people experience the emotional impact of discrimination and come to a deeper understanding of racism’s effects through the film, Blue-Eyed, featuring Jane Elliott. Ms. Elliott is one of America’s leading educators on racial perceptions. Her work has been featured on PBS’ Frontline, the Tonight Show, Today, Donahue, ABC News, and Oprah. Through the film, viewers observed one of Elliott’s highly regarded workshops in which she helped participants experience first-hand the emotional trauma of racism, thus becoming more sensitive to racial discrimination.
Racially charged speech as well as discrimination based on physical attributes, even eye color, can have a devastating effect on people of another hue. In a country divided along black and white lines, and in which black people are forced to live in a white man’s world, Elliott helped us to experience first-hand the shoe being placed on the other foot—the white one, for a change. However, this video has something to say to everyone, for people of all color experience discrimination to some extent and even propagate it.
Pastor Emmett Wheatfall, Remember the Hope Christian Fellowship, served as moderator and facilitator for the evening. Following the video, Rev. Wheatfall facilitated a discussion processing the material viewed, while challenging us to live according to God’s biblical mandate.