A documentary about Ottawa's Human Library was produced by CBC Ottawa. It originally aired on August 22, 2015.
Human Library
Presented in partnership with CBC Ottawa / En partenariat avec CBC Ottawa Real people. Real conversations / Histoires vécues. Histoires à partager.
Saturday, February 27 / Le samedi 27 février 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. / 11 h à 15 h Beaverbrook, Main and St-Laurent / Succursales Beaverbrook, Centrale et St-Laurent
The Human Library was originally launched in Denmark in 2000 as a way to focus on anti-violence, encourage dialogue and build relations. It has grown in popularity with over 60 countries now taking part in the movement.
This is the 5th year that OPL and CBC Ottawa are hosting this event.
Human ‘Books’ have volunteered to take part in the event with the goal of building tolerance and respect for diversity in our community.
A Reader ‘borrows’ a Book and engages in a one-on-one conversation to gain a better understanding of that person.
Human Library
| Summary | Languages spoken | Related resources | Media |
|---|---|---|---|
Bridge for NewcomersWen Jean Ho was already a trained social worker when she arrived in Ottawa as an immigrant from Taiwan via the United States.Read more (Bridge for Newcomers) |
English, Taiwanese, Mandarin | Bridge for Newcomers | http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/wen-jean-ho-bridge-newcomers-1.3452537 |
CBC Traffic ReporterDoug Hempstead grew up in rural Renfrew county near Pembroke. Before he became a reporter, Doug worked as a grocery store clerk, and then as a taxi driver.Read more (CBC Traffic Reporter) |
English, French | CBC Traffic Reporter | |
EntrepreneurAbout to begin her PhD in Europe, Jane He travelled to Canada to visit her sister on a one-month tourist visa.Read more (Entrepreneur) |
English, Mandarin, Shanghainese | Entrepreneur | |
FarmerOriginally from Telangana, India, Sudhir Kodati comes from an agricultural background.Read more (Farmer) |
English, Telugu | Farmer | |
Former Drug UserGrowing up with an absent father, Jordon MacLean never felt like he fit in.Read more (Former Drug User) |
English | Former Drug User | http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/human-library-jordan-maclean-helping-reduce... |
ImamSikander Hashmi grew up in Montreal but spent much of his adolescence studying at the Al-Rashid Islamic Institute, a Muslim seminary in Cornwall.Read more (Imam) |
English, French, Urdu | Imam | |
RCMP OfficerIn 1987, Ajit Tiwana became the RCMP's first South Asian female recruit.Read more (RCMP Officer) |
English, Punjabi, Hindi, Gujarat, Urdu | RCMP Officer |
| Summary | Languages spoken | Related resources | Media |
|---|---|---|---|
Anishinaabe RootsKris Meawasige has become the solution to the problem he faced as a child.Read more (Anishinaabe Roots) |
English | Anishinaabe Roots | |
Caribbean Domestic PioneerGrowing up in Jamaica, with an abusive father, meant Melissa often took care of her younger siblings.Read more (Caribbean Domestic Pioneer) |
English | Caribbean Domestic Pioneer | |
CBC Television Control Room DirectorGerry Buffett has worked in Canadian television for 30 years.Read more (CBC Television Control Room Director) |
English | CBC Television Control Room Director | |
Comic CreatorJay Odjick is a writer and artist from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg Algonquin Nation in Quebec.Read more (Comic Creator) |
English | Comic Creator | http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/jay-odjick-kagagi-algonquin-culture-1.34504... |
Daughter of a DeporteeChelby Daigle was raised by her single mom and grew up in a white family, but the colour of Chelby's skin was a daily reminder of her black father,Read more (Daughter of a Deportee) |
English, French | Daughter of a Deportee | |
Domestic Violence SurvivorFor more than ten years, Heather Imming was emotionally and physically abused by her husband.Read more (Domestic Violence Survivor) |
English | Domestic Violence Survivor | |
Former InmateLee Chapelle was 16 when a judge first sentenced him to jail.Read more (Former Inmate) |
English | Former Inmate | |
Formerly HomelessThree years ago, while grieving the death of his father back home in Malaysia, Chi Way Lee fell into a deep depression.Read more (Formerly Homeless) |
English | Formerly Homeless | |
Human Trafficking SurvivorWhen she was 21 years old, Simone Bell became a target for sexual exploitation and was trafficked between Ottawa, Toronto, Niagara Falls and Montreal over a period of four years.Read more (Human Trafficking Survivor) |
English | Human Trafficking Survivor | |
Living with Asperger SyndromeWhen Jordan Edwards studied at Carleton University, he did well academically, but struggled to meet friends.Read more (Living with Asperger Syndrome) |
English | Living with Asperger Syndrome | http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/human-library-jordan-edwards-asperger-syndr... |
Living with Schizophrenia & DepressionDuring her first year of university, Ayan Yusuf began feeling paranoid and experiencing delusions.Read more (Living with Schizophrenia & Depression) |
English, Somali | Living with Schizophrenia & Depression | |
Muslim WomanIn 2001, Mahwash Fatima immigrated to Canada from Pakistan.Read more (Muslim Woman) |
English, Urdu | Muslim Woman | |
NaturistTed Thompson is a retired aviation engineer.Read more (Naturist) |
English | Naturist | http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2684278821 |
Organ Transplant RecipientWhile Hiba Yusuf was studying cellular molecular biology at university, a doctor diagnosed her with chronic kidney disease. Her youngest brother voRead more (Organ Transplant Recipient) |
English, Arabic | Organ Transplant Recipient | |
Police OfficerIsobel Granger was the first black officer to join the white ranks of the segregated British South Africa Police in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe).Read more (Police Officer) |
English | Police Officer | http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/isobel-granger-ottawa-police-perspectives-1... |
RabbiIn 1989, Elizabeth Bolton left her life as a classical singer in Canada to study for the rabbinate in the United States.Read more (Rabbi) |
English, French, some Hebrew and Yiddish | Rabbi | http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/human-library-elizabeth-bolton-rabbi-follow... |
| Summary | Languages spoken | Related resources | Media |
|---|---|---|---|
CBC Host and Video-JournalistOmar Dabaghi-Pacheco was a competitive bicycle courier and world traveller before deciding on journalism school.Read more (CBC Host and Video-Journalist) |
English, French, Spanish | CBC Host and Video-Journalist | |
ComedianWhen she was a child, Kalyani Pandya's family immigrated to Winnipeg from Uganda after the Idi Amin regime expelled South Asians from the country.Read more (Comedian) |
English, Gujarati | Comedian | |
Correctional OfficerIn 1997, Denis Collin began his career as a Correctional Officer.Read more (Correctional Officer) |
English, French | Correctional Officer | |
Foster ParentWhile in her twenties, Cassandra Auguste worked at a group home for teenagers.Read more (Foster Parent) |
English, French | Foster Parent | |
Living with PTSDWhile serving with the Canadian Airborne Regiment in Somalia, Major Réjean Richard was first on the scene after two young boys playing with a live grenade were severely injured.Read more (Living with PTSD) |
English, French | Living with PTSD | http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/rejean-richard-canadian-forces-ptsd-1.34516... |
Métis WomanBrenda Macdougall is descended from the original fur trading families of amiskwaciwaskahikan or Beaver Hills House where the original Fort Edmonton was located.Read more (Métis Woman) |
English | Métis Woman | |
Refugee SponsorTwenty-six years ago, Aurelia Achor arrived in Canada as a refugee from South Sudan.Read more (Refugee Sponsor) |
English | Refugee Sponsor |