Why 'Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes' Matters

Part one of a two-part conversation with Jane Elliott, world-renowned educator, lecturer, and diversity trainer.

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By Michael Judge

My grandfather, Dinsmore Brandmill, a World War II veteran who fought in the battle of Okinawa, a history teacher, and K-12 principal, devoted his life to educating children in rural America—all children, not just those considered “good students” or “college material.” To him an education meant nothing short of an opportunity to succeed in this world—no matter what color you may be, what religion you might practice, or how much money your family has. 

Having seen racism and xenophobia in many forms—from the plight of African-Americans under Jim Crow, to the murderous anti-Semitism that sparked the Holocaust, to Japan’s “superior race” justifications for its conquests and atrocities throughout Asia—my grandfather understood the dangers of scapegoating whole populations, and the urgency of reiterating, in classrooms across the country, the truth the U.S. Constitution calls “self-evident”—that we’re all “created equal.”

How do I know this about my grandfather? Becau…