Human library aims to reduce discrimination

Readers at the Mount Roskill Library read from a selection of ‘human books’ last Saturday.

The Human Library event was hosted by the Roskill Together, as part of We Read Auckland. 

A similar event, Whiriwhiri Kōrero – Woven Stories, is being held this Sunday at Highland Park Library.

The ethos of the Human Library is about reducing discrimination, says the community development manager at Roskill Together, David Mitchell.

“The motto is 'un-judge someone today' so we wanted to find people who may be judged on a regular basis.”

Five ‘human books’ were available to read, which included an Egyptian migrant, a young man with autism, and a queer woman of colour and a migrant.

"We tried to get a mix of ethnicities, disability, and sexuality because those are things that people have been know to discriminate against,” says Mitchell.

One of the human books involved, Egyptian migrant Max Sarhan, says the experience was interesting and talking to a stranger was exciting.

“I didn’t know who was going to ask to read me.

“[My reader] was very curious about learning about me and about my story.

“She asked a few questions about what I’m doing here in New Zealand, how long have I been here, if I have been through any discrimination experiences.

“I told her about my experience back in the US and the UK and also here in New Zealand.”

Sarhan says he would be happy to take part again.

A reader who took part in Saturday’s Human Library says she came away from the event with gratitude for the chance to speak with the people involved, and it allowed for different conversations she would not usually have.

She says she attended the event because she wanted to get out there and do something different.

Mitchell says they may do a variation on the event in the future.

“Anything that aims to reduce discrimination and increase understanding gets the thumbs-up from me,” he says.