Open Book
Reserve a seat with other community members to take part in Ames Public Library and CultureALL’s Open Book project on Sunday, Sept. 29, from 2-4 p.m. in the Library Auditorium. Register online at www.AmesPL.org/events to save your spot.
The event will begin with an opening that prepares participants for a story-sharing process. Presentations will be followed by facilitated discussion. Doors will open at 1:45 p.m. to invite fellowship and to enjoy light refreshments.
OPEN BOOKS:
JJ Singh Kapur began his interfaith work in Iowa in high school. He started a youth organization called “The Turbanators,” which focused on “turban-ating” the negative stigma surrounding Sikhism through awareness building and community service. In 2017, he became the first turbaned Sikh to win the most prestigious high school speech and debate competition in the U.S. JJ graduated from Stanford University; he returned to his hometown of Des Moines as an AmeriCorps Lead for America Fellow, where he served with CultureALL to help Iowans build bridges with their diverse neighbors by cultivating a human library across his home state called “Open Book.”
Abe Goldstien was born and raised in an orthodox Jewish community in Rochester, N.Y. He moved to Des Moines in 1969 to pursue an education and career in advertising. During college at Drake University – and for several years later – Abe had very little to do with Des Moines’ Jewish community or the religious customs of his youth. It wasn’t until he started to perform Yiddish (Eastern European Jewish) music on his accordion that he reconnected with his heritage. Today, Abe is the leader of the Java Jews, Iowa’s only klezmer music band. He’s also a CultureALL Ambassador who talks to children and adults about keeping alive their unique family customs and traditions, no matter how strange they are.
Abena Sankofa Imhotep is an award-winning author, transformative thought leader, and the executive director of Sankofa Literary & Empowerment Group, which creates spaces for lifelong learning that center the literature and scholarship of Black authors. Abena has presented human rights papers on social impact & responsibility and strategies for achieving racial justice and founded Sankofa Literary Academy in 2021 to expand children’s access to diverse books across the United States. Additionally, Abena is a TEDx speaker,and author of the beloved children’s book, Omari’s Big Tree and the Mighty Djembe.
