March 14, 2019

SVSU 'Human Library' event challenges prejudice through dialogue

Saginaw Valley State University will host its third annual "Human Library" event Tuesday, March 19, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the first floor of Melvin J. Zahnow Library.

The event is free and open to the public.

Human Library events are designed to build a positive framework for conversations aimed at challenging stereotypes and prejudices. At these Human Library events, people are asked to serve as "books," telling their life stories to guests in attendance.

Organizers say this year's "books" will tell a variety of stories including the experience of living with a mental illness, the struggles of being a teenage mother, and the experience of being part of an interracial marriage. Other "book" topics will include living with narcolepsy, being an international student at a university, public misconceptions of Puerto Ricans, the challenge of raising an autistic son as a single mother, and the trials and tribulations of being a woman in the professional world.

Angelica Johnson, an SVSU engineering technology management major from Saginaw, served on the Human Library Planning Committee. Johnson said she expects both the event's participants and its attendees will gain wisdom from the experience.

"I believe the Human Library event gets at an understanding of a special individual who has a unique story in their life," she said. "This event goes above and beyond contributing the hard work of others and establishing new connections to human 'books.'"

For more information on Human Library events, visit humanlibrary.org.