Hip Hop Congress

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Don’t forget to celebrate Black History month by joining Dr. Manning Marable, one of America’s leading scholars and founder of the Center for Contemporary Black History, on Thursday Feb. 8 in the Tivoli Turnhalle from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

How do we learn to dislike other people? Maybe it’s all in the eyes. Jane Elliot explored the sources of racism in her ground-breaking 1968 social experiment “Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes.” Elliot was trying to explain the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. to her students of an all-white classroom. She decided to assign certain privileges to children with blue eyes, explaining that blue-eyed children are inherently superior and more intelligent than brown-eyed children. The brown-eyed children, being inferior, had to wear collars so they were easily identifiable. The next day, she said she was wrong, and that it was actually brown-eyed children that were superior. The privileges were reversed, and the brown-eyed children were given privileges and praise, while the blue-eyed children had to wear collars. It didn’t take long for the “superior” children to oppress the “inferior” children. When she reversed the exercise the next day, the newly “superior” children began to oppress the newly “inferior” children.

Elliott created the experiment as a way for her students in her all-white, all-Christian class to understand racism and discrimination, and as a result of reading about the techniques used by the Nazis during the Holocaust. The experiment allowed her white students to understand what it’s like to be discriminated against for something they had no control over. She chose eye color because she read it was one of the ways Nazis identified Jews during the Holocaust. Sadly, many members of the community didn’t like the experiment and began calling Elliot and her students “nigger lovers” and even boycotted a business owned by a family member of Elliot. Since then, she has used her experiment as a workshop program training exercise in diversity.

A Rosa Parks Luncheon will be held on Thursday Feb. 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Tivoli. Seating is limited though, so you have to RSVP.

Next Wednesday, Feb. 14, head over to the Salomon Room, Tivoli 317, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. to check out this fascinating social experiment. There is no mention if you have to bring your own collar, or if one will be provided for you.

More Black History events include a Gumbo Taster, Thursday, Feb. 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Tivoli 440. There’s sure to be something spicy enough for everyone’s taste buds there. Stick around until 5:30 p.m. for a lecture titled “Islam Influence on the Black Culture.” On Friday, Feb. 16, join UCDHSC Hip-Hop Congress and the UCDHSC Theatre Buffs for “FoundNationz of Sole,” hip-hop elements show, in the Tivoli Turnhalle at 5:00 p.m.