A Library Whose Books are Humans
Inviting a conversation
Random Conversations is a newsletter for those who believe in the power of a positive perspective and the joy it brings. It champions intentionally honoring ways of being and promotes the belief that we can change our world, one interaction at a time. Choose the change wisely.
If you have read my posts for a while, you know I often find the most interesting content on CBS Sunday Morning. Two Sundays ago, they aired a story about the Human Library, which was created in Copenhagen in 2000. How have I not known about this?!
The Human Library offers a platform for people to come together and learn about each other in a safe environment. This can be in person or virtually, with offerings across 80+ countries.
Visitors check out a “book,” and that book is a human who is available to speak about an area of their life that can often be controversial. Perhaps it’s a psychological diagnosis, perhaps it’s an ethnicity, and more.
From their website:
“... the Human Library works to create a safe framework for personal conversations that can help to challenge prejudice, ... aim to help rid discrimination, prevent conflicts and contribute to greater human cohesion across social, religious and ethnic divisions.”
And,
“We meet our goals by creating a special dialogue room, where taboo topics can be discussed openly and without condemnation. A place where people who would otherwise never talk find room for conversation.”
Conversations open windows to new points of view – even if just a crack.
I am reminded of a conversation I had with one of my cousins as I prepared to deliver training in Pakistan. She was an incredibly kind and loving woman. It must have been her concern for my safety that prompted her to gently express anti-Muslim bias and fear.
In response, I told her about the gentle soul who is my friend Mussarrat, a Sufi Muslim woman I met at our Appreciative Inquiry certificate program in Positive Business and Society Change. From her seat at the back of the room, she often quoted passages from Rumi to perfectly illustrate a point just shared. She brought me to tears more than anyone ever has.
My cousin was moved by what she heard, but that wasn’t enough. She responded, “But I haven’t seen Muslims like that. Maybe if I met her, I would think differently.” Her worldview was of the nameless terror she saw on the news.
My cousin would definitely have gone to the Human Library if she had known about it before she passed. I wish she had the opportunity to meet a Mussarrat of her own. That conversation would have blown the window that I cracked wide open!
Video links can be found below to the Sunday Morning segment, to a TEDx talk with the creator of the Human Library, and to “Unjudge Someone” which is a very short video with snippets of the library in full dialogue. There’s also a link to the Human Library website.
I am also reminded of a gathering I read about a handful of years ago. A woman originally from the Middle East (was she Iraqi? Palestinian?), living in NYC (was it Queens? Brooklyn?), hosted a weekly dinner for people in her neighborhood.
Her intent was to share the delicious food she grew up with and to allow people to see her and her country through a new lens. Stereotypes fell away as everyone ate and laughed together. Intimate gatherings kept growing, pulling in guests from well beyond her neighborhood. In the most delicious way, she was a catalyst for positive change.
A Reflection
I find it heartening that people want to come together to ask questions, to understand, to decide for themselves about topics of interest. I also find it heartening that safe places to experience this learning are coming forward, and that people are accepting the invitation to participate.
Suspending judgment to have deep, curious conversations can be transformative.
How fortunate to be able to enter a human library or to sit at a dinner with strangers who leave as friends. And if that structure is not readily available, we still have our voice and we can use that voice to inquire, to think for ourselves, to decide for ourselves – and to share what we learn with others. What a powerful place to be.
Questions
Would you agree to sit at a neighbors table and eat your way through an understanding of her culture? If you checked out a “book” in the Human Library, what topics would you request? I’d welcome hearing your thoughts in the comments.
Notes
CBS Sunday Morning, “Checking Out the Human Library.” A link to the video can be found here.
Creating the Human Library: Fighting taboos & stigma through dialogue | Ronni Abergel | TEDxBucharest. A link to a talk by the creator of the Human Library can be found here.
“Unjudge Someone.” A link to a very short video about the Human Library can be found here.
The Human Library. A link to their website can be found here.
What a unique idea, this is amazing. Thank you, Cathy, for the post and for the links. I'm traveling today and will have time this weekend to view them.
I love the idea of the human library, Cathy. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. And the story of the woman hosting dinner gatherings as a way of building greater understanding and empathy rocks! What a powerful and very natural way to learn about different cultures and traditions. So inspiring.