Racial Prejudice and Our children stopping, or at least, reducing the effects of racism on American society begins by teaching our children that differences should not be a threat, but that differences are "what makes the world go around". Racial discrimination has plagued our country for the entirety of its existence. It began with Christopher Columbus in 1492 when he took the friendly Native Americans captive and enslaved them as they swam out to greet his entourage. This is an issue that bears much consideration because it is not going away by itself. We were created equal in the sight of God, and when every American recognizes that to be a fact and teaches their children, we will be well on our way to a peaceful existence.
On April 15, 1968 a group of eight-year-old children were taught an important lesson, about discrimination and racism. A brave teacher by the name of Jane Elliott wanted to find some way for her class to understand the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. First, she divided the class according to eye color.
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'RACISM/THERE IS MORE TO LEARN' Dominic Jacques
'RACISM/THERE IS MORE TO LEARN' Dominic JacquesNext, she wrote the word "melanin" on the blackboard. Mrs. Elliott explained to her class that melanin was the chemical that caused eye, skin, and hair color. She told them that this chemical also causes intelligence. Therefore, brown-eyed children were smarter and better than blue or green-eyed children. This immediately caused discrimination within the classroom. The "blueys" or blue-eyed children that once excelled in class began to withdraw and fail. The "brownies" or brown-eyed children that once struggled and were quiet became confidant and made better grades. The brown-eyed children were also mean to the other children and even began to blame them for all the bad things that happened in the classroom. (Bloom)This experiment shows just how easy discrimination...