Have you read any good books lately? The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs will co-host The Human Library Project on Tuesday, Oct. 10.
The free event is co-sponsored by AshaKiran, the City of Huntsville Office of Multicultural Affairs, and the Huntsville-Madison County Public Libraries. The Human Library is free and open to the public from 6 p.m., to 8 p.m., at the UAH Conference Training Center (located at 1410 Ben Graves Drive). Although a public event, the Human Library is strongly recommended for people 19 years of age and older due to the variety and nature of the topics.
Instead of checking out books the humanlibrary.org lets you "checkout" people to hear their personal stories and ask questions. A worldwide movement for social change, the human library is designed to build a positive framework for conversations that can challenge stereotypes and prejudices through dialogue. It is a place where real people are on loan to readers. A place where difficult questions are expected, appreciated and answered.
"You will quite likely hear stories very similar to your own, or with a totally different perspective on a topic." said Delois H. Smith, UAH Vice President for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.
The Human Library was launched in Denmark nearly 20 years ago by a youth group called STOP the Violence. The Human Library is a worldwide movement aiming to facilitate understanding and challenge harmful stereotypes through one-on-one, 15 minute open dialogues. Human Library books are real people with critical perspectives to share. The books will address such complex topics such as faith, sexuality, and women's rights. Difficult questions are expected, appreciated and answered. Huntsville community members with book titles such as, "Survive and Reign" and "Ask a Muslim," have volunteered to share their unique perspectives and give the reader a chance to learn more about their lives as well as the challenges and stereotypes they face.
The Huntsville-Madison County Public Library Book Mobile will also be present outside of the event to provide the opportunity for the community to check out books.