In a heartfelt celebration of community leaders, Peggy Lewis, 67, dedicated volunteer and Human Library Book Depot Manager in Muncie, In, received the Vivian V. Conley Award for Distinction in Advocacy for Social Justice on August 28th for her work with the Human Library.

Vivian V. Conley was a prominent civil rights activist and community champion in Muncie and at the forefront of many community issues relating to education and civil and elderly rights. The award, named in her honour, recognizes individuals who, like Vivian herself, stand at the forefront of community matters and drive meaningful change. Peggy’s dedication to creating an inclusive community where diverse voices are heard aligns seamlessly with the award’s values and serves as a well-deserved recognition of her outstanding contributions to the community.

Peggy Lewis in the middle, celebrated by Books and Librarians.

“You need to understand that this is my passion, and the real winners are all of the Books and Librarians who work together to help me make this a reality. I am humbled and honoured. I was so happy to share this moment with some of those Books and Librarians as well as my sons,” Peggy says. 

Making Indiana a Human Library hub

Peggy Lewis has been leading the local work in Muncie since 2019, and with a band of incredible volunteers, they have built a strong local presence that is giving voice to the diversity of the community and enabling learning opportunities across educational institutions, festivals and workplaces. 

She has put thousands of hours into caretaking for Books, Librarians and readers. Ensuring the safe space for all involved in the work. 

Peggy got involved almost by circumstance after meeting Human Library founder Ronni Abergel at a training session held in Indianapolis. Since then, she has been trained and visited the head office in Copenhagen, Denmark. Along with her team and the amazing Fort Wayne Human Library team, Peggy Lewis has helped make the state of Indiana a regular hub for the Human Library in the US. Peggy Lewis, we salute you.

Click to find a Human Library event near you

The post Human Library Book Depot Manager Wins Award appeared first on The Human Library Organization.

In august, The Human Library won the award as Groundbreaker of the year, at the nordic-wide Blaze Inclusion Awards in Oslo.

Project manager Sif Hjelm Jensen attended the gala and accepted the award, on behalf of The Human Library. “It was a pleasure to participate in celebrating all of these other actors in DIEB. And taking home the award made it extra special.”

The Blaze Awards are founded and organized by the Norwegian non-profit organization Diversify. It is awarded to people, organizations, corporations, etc., who excel within the DIEB-factors – Diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging.

“It was an uplifting and inspiring experience to share the space with so many amazing initiatives all working to bring about a more inclusive world”, says Sif Hjelm Jensen.

The Blaze Awards are distributed to winners in six different categories. You can read about the other recipients here. The Human Library wants to congratulate all who were nominated for an award.

The post The Human Library wins diversity award appeared first on The Human Library Organization.