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40 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | OCTOBER 2020 Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time. How Do You Teach People About Racial Discrimination? Jane Elliott is an American schoolteacher, anti-racism activist, and educator who has been teaching people about racial discrimination for over 30 years. She is known for her "Blue eyes–Brown eyes" exercise. She first performed this exercise in her 3rd grade class the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. During this lesson, Jane watched a brilliant blue-eyed white girl turn into a frightened intimidated, unable to learn student in the space of 15 minutes because Jane accused the student of not being smart enough since she had the wrong color eyes. Jane also watched four dyslexic brown-eyed boys read words they had never been able to read or spell because no one ever told them they could learn to read or spell. Today, Elliot travels the world educating people on how the most minimal attributes can be used to make people feel inferior or superior. Sharing Jane's exercise helps to give white people an idea of what it is like to be discriminated against and treated unfairly based on physical characteristics over which they have no control. Jane creates two groups using blue eyes and brown eyes, putting other eye colors into the lower class. Brown-eyed people go into the top class on the first day. They are told they are smarter, more worthwhile, more Christian, and better citizens because blue-eyed people do not have as much melanin in their eyes. Too much sunlight gets into blue eyes and damages brain cells which is why blue- eyed people are not as smart as brown-eyed people. This is obviously not true so why then do we support the myth of one race being more superior to the other and the myth of "Whiteness is Rightness?" says Jane. During an interview, Jane was asked what she would like people to know. Jane responded, "There is only one race and that is the 'Human Race.' Black people three thousand or so years ago migrated from the equator to other areas of the earth. As they moved farther from the equator, over time their bodies produced less melanin, and their skin, hair, and eyes got lighter. They did not become members of a different race. Their bodies merely reacted to the natural environment of where they lived." The next AACC Zoom meeting will be held on Monday, Oct. 5. For information, please call Betty Ann James at (951) 572- 5538 or email infotoaacc@gmail.com. ~ Regina Thomas African American Cultural Club Italian American Club Veterans Walk Group Ciao Amici Miei (Hello my friends.) The purpose of the Italian American Club is to provide members with the opportunity to share cultural experiences, history, traditions, language, food, and fun being Americans of Italian ancestry. Before the COVID-19 pandemic prevented our meeting in person, we met the second Thursday of each month at The Courts Multipurpose Room at 6 pm. Now we are not able to meet because of the county and state guidelines but know that you are all missed. As soon as we can safely meet at The Courts, we will let everyone know as the facility becomes available. We are looking forward to seeing all of you again. Stay safe and healthy, and please follow all guidelines put in place for our safety. Addio Fina Incontriamo Al Nuovo (Goodbye until we meet again.) ~ Barbara Dipoma and Jerry Monahan, (951) 212-8898 The HOA Veterans Walk Group placed the 26 flags with yellow ribbons around FSC in remembrance of the 26 Redlands area heroes who remain among the WWII missing or whose remains have not been returned to their homes. The yellow ribbons for the flags were made by Craft Club members. In October we recognize the US Navy's birthday, Oct. 13, 1775. On this day the Continental Congress purchased two warships to attack British ships and prevent them from conducting operations against American forces along the coastline. ~ Leonard Tavernetti

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