Telling Stories, Breaking Barriers

Next week our campus is hosting a College Success Day. Classes are cancelled and the day is full of sessions for students on many different topics: personal interest, careers, education, etc.

This year I am working with several other faculty members to organize a Human Library. I had never heard of this type of event before last fall but as soon as I got a few details, I was excited. Basically volunteers sign up to be "Books" and tell their stories to "Readers". After sharing their experiences, Books and Readers engage in meaningful conversation. The idea is to create a safe space for dialog and to learn from other people. Books come from all types of backgrounds so that the Readers have the opportunity to speak with people with a variety of life experiences.

I believe that one of the best things we can do to understand others and break down barriers is to tell our stories. When we spend time with people whose stories are different than ours, we learn about the world and often about ourselves. We learn that despite cultural, religious, socioeconomic, and other differences, we're all just human.  I'm excited to be a part of an event that helps spread that message in a clear, tangible way.

If you want to see our Books, go to this page about Success Day and click on Human Library Stories. I want to listen to all of them! :)