Internationally renowned anti-racism activist Jane Elliott will deliver the keynote address at the 14th Annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast on Jan. 21, hosted by the MSC Carter G. Woodson Black Awareness Committee.
Elliott, an American teacher, is most well known for her “Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes” exercise in which she portrays the effects of discrimination by treating people with brown eyes less favorably than people with blue or green eyes. Elliott first debuted this exercise in her third grade classroom the day after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and she has since become an internationally known lecturer and diversity trainer.
According to wbac.tamu.edu., the annual event is a commemoration of MLK Day and fosters a campus environment that honors King’s dream of an inclusive America. Previous guest speakers at Texas A&M’s MLK Breakfast include Angela Davis, Danny Glover and Ruby Bridges.
Sociology senior and special projects director for MSC WBAC Tiara Kinnebrew said in a Texas A&M Today article that Elliott’s presence will be beneficial for the campus community because of the division it has experienced in the past year.
“Jane Elliott’s presence will be great for the Texas A&M community, especially because of how the campus and world climate have been since this past summer,” Kinnebrew told Texas A&M Today. “At Texas A&M, the focus is to graduate future leaders representing the six core values of our university, and Jane Elliott will no doubt kick the movement into overdrive.”
Melany Pearl, the program advisor for MSC WBAC, said Elliott’s approach to the topics she discusses incites action in her audiences.
“Ms. Elliott brings the hard truth to matters in order to ignite substantive change,” Pearl said. “I look forward to her meaningful conversation with us that will point back to Dr. King’s dream for the United States.”
For those interested in viewing the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast, the event will be livestreamed on Facebook and Instagram beginning at 9 a.m.
