One day after Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1968 assassination, Iowa school teacher Jane Elliott divided her all-white third-grade class into blue-eyed and brown-eyed groups to teach a daring lesson in discrimination. That first exercise led to extreme backlash against Elliott and her family but also inspired a lifetime of activism and advocacy revealed in this powerful and urgent portrait of a legendary educator. After spending nearly 60 years confronting America about racism, responsibility, and moral courage and now nearing 90, Elliott continues to speak out. Students who took part in that early classroom exercise, Elliott’s family, and prominent activists like Killer Mike and Ibram X. Kendi are among those who offer their observations in the film. Jane Elliott Against the World is an important and timely documentary that relates one woman’s history while highlighting how urgent her work remains in an era where discrimination and systemic racism remain omnipresent. —Kelly Clement