On this episode of River to River, we listen back to a 2013 conversation with Jane Elliott. In 1968, Elliott became the first teacher to conduct the now-famous Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes exercise with her third grade class in Riceville as a tool to teach white students about racial discrimination.
First on the program, a look back at the story of an Iowan’s recovery from COVID-19, the power of poetry in a pandemic, and a reminder of thunder and lightning safety basics.
Guests:
- Alan Czarnetzki, professor of meteorology at the University of Northern Iowa
- Larry Potter, first Iowan to be released from Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids after being diagnosed with COVID-19 and spending time on a ventilator
- Crystal Stone, poet and recent graduate of Iowa State University's MFA program in creative writing and environment
- Jane Elliott, former elementary school teacher and creator of the Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes anti-discrimination exercise