Human Library™ Helps Break Stereotypes
The Sedona Rotary Club will once again celebrate the International Day of Peace weekend by joining in a collaborative peace-building effort known as the Human Library™. For each of the last four years the Rotary Club of Sedona has joined forces with the Sedona International City of Peace and the Sedona Public Library in a Human Library™ event to give victims of stereotyping an opportunity to tell their story….and for members of the community to test and release some of their preconceived notions about others.
Because of the limits posed by the coronavirus the 2020 event will be held on Zoom on Sunday, September 20 between 10:00AM and 1:00PM
The sponsoring organization recruits people with interesting, but often misunderstood backgrounds to participate as Human Books. In a typical Human Book session a group of 10-15 “readers” join in a 40 minute session to learn about the Human Book’s life. The first 20 minutes are devoted to hearing the story of the Human Book from their very personal perspective. Readers then have an opportunity, in a safe and open environment, to learn more about what is like to live life being stereotyped and judged during a 20 minute Q&A session.
Examples of human books have included a homeless couple, a transgender, a guns-rights activist, victims of body-shaming and individuals with physical disabilities. Previous year attendees have raved about the event as an “eye-opening” and “sensitivity-building” experience.
The Human Library™ events are held throughout the year and around the world. This is the twentieth year for the Human Library to:
- Publish people as open books
- Create a safe space for dialogue
- Provide a place to ask questions about difficult issues, and
- Give people an opportunity to challenge their own stereotypes.
For more information and to register for this year’s Sedona Human Library Event, visit:
For more information about the Human Library™, visit: https://humanlibrary.org