Open Book

Reserve a seat with other community members to take part in CultureALL’s Open Book project.

The event will begin with an opening that prepares participants for a story-sharing process. Then participants will hear from two of three fellow Iowans—JJ Singh Kapur, Abe Goldstien, and Abena Sandkofa Imhotep—as they share their identities and defining personal moments. Presentations will be followed by facilitated discussion.

Please register to reserve your spot.

Doors will open at 1:45pm to invite fellowship and to enjoy light refreshments.

Open Books:

JJ Singh Kapur

JJ 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 with Honors and Distinction in Theater and Performance Studies and a minor in Psychology. 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.” JJ is embarking on a new chapter of his life by pursuing a PhD in Counseling Psychology at the University of Iowa.

“The Bollywood movies JJ Kapur watched as a child were all about heroes and villains. The off-screen superhero in JJ’s life was his father, who carried with him a pocketful of pixie dust wherever he went. But when JJ returned home from college, he wondered whether his father’s pixie dust had disappeared.”

Abe Goldstien

Abe Goldstien was born and raised in an orthodox Jewish community in Rochester, New York. 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.

“I grew up in an orthodox Jewish home, but I pretty much abandoned the religious customs of my upbringing once I moved to Des Moines for college. Many years later, I became friends with a local chassidic rabbi. He connected me with my roots by describing me as a 'Goldstien Jew' – a title I am proud to carry.”

‍

Abena Sankofa Imhotep

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. Leading conversations around racial equity and organizational awareness around the country, Abena is an active advocate for education, justice, and humanitarianism.

Abena has presented human rights papers on social impact & responsibility and strategies for achieving racial justice at the Nelson Institute Global Citizen Forum, the Iowa Human Rights Research Conference, and University of Notre Dame Kroc Institute. Abena founded Sankofa Literary Academy in 2021 to expand children’s access to diverse books across the United States. Additionally, Abena serves on several boards of directors, is an International Relations major at Drake University, a TEDx speaker, and author of the beloved children's book, Omari’s Big Tree and the Mighty Djembe.

"As the old song goes, 'time is filled with swift transitions.' Abena Sankofa Imhotep chronicles how, through loss and life, a family can reimagine who they are to each other in the aftermath of transitions."