“My name is ______, and I am a human book. People come and ask me questions and read the chapters of me.”
At The Human Library, each human book represents a group that faces prejudice or stigmas because of their lifestyle, ethnicity, beliefs, or disability: Holocaust survivor, transgender, Muslim, hearing-impaired or refugee. Readers can challenge their perceptions by checking out these human books, asking them questions, and learning something new.
The Human Library or “Menneskebiblioteket” was created in Copenhagen in 2020 as a project for Roskilde Festival by Ronni Abergel, a Danish human rights activist and journalist. So far, the non-profit has hosted in-person and online events in more than 80 countries, in libraries, museums, festivals, and schools. It has more than 1,000 human books in circulation in more than 50 languages.
“All people judge and so we are not here to change your mind or to tell you not to judge. We are here to make information available to you in a safe setting. So you can make your own decisions, but hopefully better informed decisions.” Based not on a quick judgement, but after more careful consideration and after meeting someone that knows about it. Gives you a chance to unjudge someone.” – Ronni Abergel
To join this global movement, click here.