Bellarmine is looking for students who are willing to share their stories and become books in Bellarmine’s first Human Library event on March 29.
The Human Library is an organization dedicated to creating a safe place for people to share their stories and challenge their biases. People who volunteer to be “books” can be rented for groups to “read” during the event.
Calling people “books” may sound strange, but Campus Ministry Coordinator Anderson Reeves said the language surrounding the Human Library is crucial to their mission.
“It’s more important than just a turn of phrase,” Reeves said. “It’s an equalizing factor. Everybody knows what a library is. Everybody is welcome in the library, and you stand to learn something really important there.”
Reeves is one of the organizers for the Bellarmine Human Library, and he said the event provides both the readers and books with a unique opportunity for personal growth.
“Yes, it’s a dialogue,” Reeves said, “but I think it also invites our books and our readers, in their own ways, to encounter their true selves. I think it's for the readers, especially it's for them to reflect on their prejudice, on their biases and how they stigmatize others.”
First-year Bellarmine student Paula Hernandez is registered to be a book in Bellarmine’s Human Library. Hernandez is a first-generation college student but being a book didn’t cross her mind until she had a conversation with Reeves.
“Andy and I were having a one-on-one, and I was just telling him about my life,” Hernandez said. “I ended up ranting. I was explaining how the way I grew up was so different from his and he said, ‘Paula, you would make a really good book.’ I said, 'You know what, you’re right.’”
Hernandez said she realized just how unique her upbringing was, and this realization motivated her to be a book.
“I think people should sign up to be a book or even listen to books to learn about the differences in how everyone grew up, to recognize how you are different from other people, but, at the same time, that you’re not alone,” she said.
Director of Military and Veteran Services Lindsay Gargotto has also signed up to be a book. She has previous experience as a book in the Human Library, and she said it provides books with an opportunity to be a voice for underrepresented groups.
“Everyone’s perspective is valuable,” Gargotto said, “but I think the goal is to look at perspectives that are overlooked and that are challenging for us.”
Gargotto is a U.S. Air Force veteran. She said the event gave her an opportunity to be a voice for female veterans and tackle common misconceptions.
“When I go places, nobody ever looks at me and asks if I’m a veteran. When I was a book, and I said, ‘I am a veteran woman,’ it gave people the opportunity to ask those questions. What is motherhood like in the military? What is it like working in a male-dominated field?”
Gargotto said being a book requires a willingness to share, people don’t have to lay every aspect of their lives bare. As a book, people can explicitly set boundaries for what they are not willing to discuss, and there is always a moderator present to facilitate discussions.
“It’s always good to push yourself to a level where you know you are a little uncomfortable,” Gargotto said, “because that’s where you grow, but you know your boundaries. You know you best. No one gets to make those calls for you.”
Books will not go into the event unprepared. Reeves is leading a series of events called the “True Story Workshop” to provide books with a chance to meet each other and practice how to have conversations with readers. Anyone who would like to be a book in Bellarmine’s Human Library can sign up at bit.ly/hlbookapp. The deadline to sign up is Feb. 25. Find more details about the three upcoming True Story Workshops on Engage.
Questions or concerns about being a book in Bellarmine’s Human Library may be sent to Reeves at areeves@bellarmine.edu or Gargotto at lgargotto@bellarmine.edu.
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