Jane Elliot's work shows us that children can recognize difference and they can recognize when someone is being treated differently because of that difference. I am pleased to hear many of my friends with children wondering how to best talk to their children about the current unrest and the protests. While I do not have kids, I did watch the Sesame Street Town Hall on Standing Up to Racism and thought it was explained very well in a way that kids could understand. I have also done my best to share resources as I've found them.
I am wondering if this social experiment has been re-created more recently and if not would be interested in how it would work and what the discussion would look like among elementary school children in 2020.
Hi Elizabeth. I was also impressed with Jane Elliot's exercise. I am a mom & feel very fortunate that our children are enrolled in a diverse school .. so much of addressing institutional racism is first, exposure and next constant conversation because you are correct: kids know immediately when treatment varies.
Thanks for mentioning the Sesame Street town hall; I'll have to check it out.
Jane Elliott did this experiment on the Oprah Winfrey Show. It's interesting to see how adults respond as well.
I love her line where she says, "God created the human race, and humans created racism." We clearly still have a lot of work to do, but it begins with love - an action verb. Let's work on mastering how to love one another as we love ourselves.