Jane Elliott believes that white people won't act against racism until they have experienced it emotionally themselves,if only for a few hours in a controlled environment.

The "blue eyed/brown eyed" exercise was originally developed by Jane Elliott for her all white third grade class in Riceville, Iowa at the time of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination to give them some idea of racial prejudice. She divided her class on the basis of eye color and subjected the blue-eyed members to a regime of intense discrimination. They soon cracked under the pressure, losing self-esteem and competence.

The same exercise with the same devastating results has since been replicated hundreds of times in industry, higher education and public employment not just in this country but around the world.