Address prejudice by checking this out

A friend passed this along to me via Facebook. I commented and scrolled along, but it stayed with me all day.

In Denmark, there are libraries where one can borrow a person instead of a book to listen to their life for 30 minutes. The goal is to fight prejudice.

Each person has a title - "unemployed" or "refugee" or "bipolar," etc. - but, by listening to their story you realize how much you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

This innovative, brilliant project is active in 50 countries. It is called The Human Library.

I visited humanlibrary.org and saw they have been active for 20 years! If there's anything like this in the U.S., it's a well-kept secret.

After I picked up my jaw from the floor, I couldn't believe how progressive other countries are in such social issues.

Instead of kicking the can down the road like the U.S. does, other countries grab the issue by the throat and work on creative solutions.

Wouldn't it be amazing if someone reading this, with a network of folks truly interested in solving the prejudice issue, takes the lead and establishes the Human Library locally, statewide, nationwide?

Delynn Winkelman

Arlington Heights