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‘If You as a White Person Would Be Happy to Receive the Same Treatment That Our Black Citizens Do in This Society, Please Stand!’ Claim Anti-racism activist Jane Elliott once asked a room of white people to stand if they would be happy to be treated like black Americans, and added that their failure to stand evidenced widespread indifference regarding racism. Rating True Like this fact check? Reporting A May 15 2020 Facebook post by user Joya Foster Follette (captioned simply A Repost) circulated virally after the killing of George Floyd , alongside the following image of text describing white indifference to racism: The text in the image read: A white woman, race educator Jane Elliot says to an auditorium full of people I want every white person in this room who would be happy to be treated as this society, in general, treats our citizens – our black citizens – if you, as a white person, would be happy to receive the same treatment that our black citizens do in this society, please stand. Unsurprisingly, no one moves. She pauses. You didn’t understand the directions. If you white folks want to be treated the way blacks are, in this society, stand. More marked silence and lack of movement. She continues, Nobody’s standing here. That says very plainly that you know what’s happening. You know you don’t want it for you. I want to know why you’re so willing to accept it or to allow it to happen for others. Follette didn’t provide any contextual information about the passage of text, which was shared nearly 25,000 times in under two weeks. We located that exact content in a July 2016 Huffington Post editorial headlined White Silence Is Not An Option. The section in question was the article’s third paragraph: There are many thought-provoking videos and articles being circulated on social media after America’s week of tragedies. One in particular has stood out to me. Florida is where wokes go to die... Please enable JavaScript Florida is where wokes go to die A white woman, race educator Jane Elliot says to an auditorium full of people I want every white person in this room who would be happy to be treated as this society, in general, treats our citizens – our black citizens – if you, as a white person, would be happy to receive the same treatment that our black citizens do in this society, please stand. Unsurprisingly, no one moves. She pauses. You didn’t understand the directions. If you white folks want to be treated the way blacks are, in this society, stand. More marked silence and lack of movement. She continues, Nobody’s standing here. That says very plainly that you know what’s happening. You know you don’t want it for you. I want to know why you’re so willing to accept it or to allow it to happen for others. I want to know the same. White America, it is time for us to stand up and take a stand against injustice. In the item, Elliott’s name is misspelled as Elliot, and the quoted passage appears on a California newsreel transcript for a 1996 documentary film called Blue Eyed, or The Essential Blue-Eyed, based on an infamous experiment run by the same woman. The transcript begins at the section quoted by the Huffington Post author and seen in the Facebook screenshot: Jane Elliott: I want every white person in this room, who would be happy to be treated as this society in general treats our citizens, our black citizens. If you as a white person would be happy to receive the same treatment that our black citizens do in this society – please stand! – You didn’t understand the directions. If you white folks want to be treated the way blacks are in this society – stand! – Nobody is standing here. That says very plainly that you know what’s happening. You know you don’t want it for you. I want to know why you are so willing to accept it or to allow it to happen for others. Elliott was also featured in an early segment of the talk show Oprah , and again in a Where Are They Now? segment for OWN. In that segment, Elliott leads another experiment segregating audience members with blue eyes from those with brown eyes, and providing preferential treatment to the latter. On May 29 2020, video footage of Elliott speaking was uploaded by the Facebook page In the NOW. In that clip, Elliott’s remarks were juxtaposed with graphic footage of the police encounter ending in Floyd’s death on May 25 2020, likely creating interest in the context of her commentary. Jane Elliott’s quote asking every white person in this room who would be happy to be treated as this society in general treats our citizens our black citizens to please stand is accurate, and appeared in a 1996 documentary about a racism workshop led by Elliott. Although her name is misspelled in the screenshot, the quotation is correctly attributed. Posted in Fact Checks , Viral Content Tagged George Floyd , jane elliott , racism , viral facebook posts , viral facebook quotes
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