Gainesville, Fla. -- Volunteers are needed to participate in the 2023 Human Library event which will take place Feb. 5, 2023 at Santa Fe College's Blount Hall. The theme is “Unjudge Someone.” The volunteers, known as “human books,” need to represent a group in our society that reflects one of the “Pillars of Prejudice.” Someone from one of these groups has been subjected to prejudice, stigmatization, or discrimination because of their lifestyle, diagnosis, belief, disability, social status, or ethnic origin.
The event is designed to create a safe space for dialogue, where experiences with prejudice will be discussed openly and in a respectful manner. The Human Library is designed to build a positive framework for conversations that can challenge stereotypes and prejudices through dialogue. This event is not intended to be a storytelling event. Human books are asked to relate their singular experiences, then respond to questions and engage with the audience, known as “readers.” The event is designed to spark a conversation and create a discussion between the human books and readers.
Human books need to be comfortable talking about a few experiences and be able to handle potentially prying questions about discrimination and stereotyping.
The Human Library event will be held at Santa Fe College’s Blount Hall at 530 West University Avenue, in Gainesville, Feb. 5, 2023, beginning at 2 p.m. Participants who are chosen will be asked to take a two-hour training program prior to the event. On the day of the event, participants will be asked to arrive at 1:30 p.m. and remain till 30 minutes after the event ends for a debriefing session.
If you are interested in participating in this event, please fill out the application online.
The “Pillars of Prejudice” or Categories for Human Books
- Addiction (e.g., former drug user, gambling)
- Disabilities (e.g., neurological, or physical--visible or invisible)
- Ethnicity (e.g., Somali, Asian)
- Family Relations (e.g., child of alcoholic, adopted)
- Gender (e.g., transgender, intersex)
- Health (e.g., anorexia, epileptic)
- Lifestyle (e.g., body modified, naturist)
- Mental Health (e.g., schizophrenia, depression)
- Occupation (e.g., police officer, soldier, dentist)
- Religion/Ideology (e.g., Muslim, Jewish, Christian, feminist, anarchist)
- Sexual Orientation (e.g., bisexual, homosexual)
- Social Status (e.g., refugee, homeless)
- Victim (e.g., victim of rape, victim of stalking)