Cross-border meals connect people from countries in conflict

The Human Library hosts one-on-one conversations between people who have faced prejudice (they're the "books" that get borrowed) and "readers" who yearn to ask awkward questions that they've never been comfortable asking. "Books" tell about being transgender, an immigrant, polyamorous, a wheelchair user, a former gang member, and more. The events spread to dozens of countries, funded by corporations that hire The Human Library to help their employees learn about diversity in its many forms. Both the "readers" and the "books" can experience deep connections in only a half-hour encounter.

BridgeUSA is a student-led organization aiming to find what unites students across college campuses, who may hold opposing views. The organization started in Notre Dame and has spread to the University of California - Berkeley, Oregon State and many others. The model consists of hosting small group discussions on a variety of hot topics like immigration or police brutality and aims to help people find commonalities by engaging in empathic dialogue.

A very special 15-person book club in Battle Creek, Michigan is using the book club format to discuss hard topics like race. The conversations steer profound, intimate, and personal, and many members testify to how much it has changed them. In addition to having read 68 books, the group also performs social justice work such as donating to the Equal Justice Initiative, rolling bandages for doctors in the DRC, and donating food and goods to local pantries.

St. Louis-based We Stories provides parents with a course curriculum and reading list for the children with the goal of sparking conversations about race, oppression, and cultural awareness. The target audience of the organization is white families, who—through neighborhood demographics or socioeconomic status—may not have to directly engage with these issues unless they choose to do so.

Historically there has been stigma and pushback to bilingual and immigrant programs, but some counties are starting to embrace diversity as key to economic development. Greater diversity spurs innovation, entrepreneurship, and population growth in rural areas, recognition of these benefits has eased the stigma and encouraged more immigrant programs.

Sectarian conflict in Bahrain has torn friends and families apart, splitting the country into Sunni versus Shi’a. To soften the divisions, Bahrain Foundation for Reconciliation and Civil Discourse has hosted at least one event every month since its founding in 2012, inviting people from all ideologies to participate. These events include dialogue dinners, seminars, and even exchange trips to Northern Ireland and South Africa to learn about reconciliation experiences in those countries.

Hyper-polarization on an issue hinders progress. The Convergence Center for Policy Resolution uses conflict resolution classes to help opponents across the U.S. find common ground on social issues like education, nourishing food, and health care.

The Interfaith Mediation Center trained two groups of 30 Muslim and Christian women in two areas of Kaduna as a pilot project putting women at the center of the work needed to understand and prevent religion-motivated violence. Dozens have died in these areas. Even though women often are the victims, they usually are excluded from peacemaking work. The women committed to live peacefully and then went door to door to meet others in the community for bridge-building dialogues, which some said was a unique and transformative experience for them.

Singapore's Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) has prevented ethnic enclaves in the city-state through the use of quotas. The four recognized ethnicities cannot surpass the set quotas in public residential buildings, which are inhabited by 80 percent of Singaporeans, resulting in diverse apartment complexes where residents regularly interact with people from different races. Racial dynamics are regulated through government policies for the purpose of "harmonious coexistence."

Promoting more diverse and inclusive narratives takes a publisher interested more in social purpose than profits. Vira Letra, and independent publisher in Brazil, has employed a cost and profit-sharing business model aimed at amplifying the voices of women, LGBT, and other marginalized authors. With the vast majority of books in Brazil published by white males, who make up less than 45 percent of the population, Vira Letra focuses on adding new voices to the publishing market.