A call to action: HP fans against genocide in Darfur

As many of you know or have read, Darfur, in the Sudan region of Africa, is currently under a horrendous regime of genocide and brutality. It's allowed to continue for many reasons, a chief one among them being the willingness of leaders to do nothing about it. That's where Harry Potter fans come in.

As we approach the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and fans around the world come together to celebrate, fans are yet again teaming up to make a difference. We're asking you to join in the effort today. The Harry Potter Alliance is an unofficial group that encourages fans to use the messages in the Harry Potter books to help make a difference in the world. And now there's a concrete way to do just that. Through the Harry Potter Alliance, Harry Potter webmasters are helping fans educate, inform and act to end the suffering.

As many of you know or have read, Darfur, in the Sudan region of Africa, is currently under a horrendous regime of genocide and brutality. It's allowed to continue for many reasons, a chief one among them being the willingness of leaders to do nothing about it. That's where Harry Potter fans come in.

Many Harry Potter webmasters have spoken out about this before. MuggleCast's Laura Thompson runs Operation Sudan, which has raised thousands to aid the region. Veritaserum.com's founder, Matthew Vines, a teenager, has successfully advocated in his local area to divert more than $38 million from the corrupt regime, an act of tenacity that has probably saved thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of lives.

As we approach the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and fans around the world come together to celebrate, fans are yet again teaming up to make a difference. We're asking you to join in the effort today. The Harry Potter Alliance is a group that encourages fans to use the messages in the Harry Potter books to help make a difference in the world. And now there's a concrete way to do just that. Through the Harry Potter Alliance, Harry Potter webmasters are helping fans educate, inform and act to end the suffering.

Shortly we will be putting out a special podcast, released through PotterCast's feed, that will feature interviews with world leaders on this subject, including leading human rights activist John Prenderdergast, and retired diplomat Joseph C. Wilson (author of The Politics of Truth: Inside the Lies that Led to War and Betrayed My Wife's CIA Identity: A Diplomat's Memoir).

It will feature appearances by wizard rock bands Harry and the Potters, Draco and the Malfoys, The Remus Lupins, and more. Matthew Vines will be talking about his experiences fighting injustice in the Sudan. It will explain what's happening and what you can do about it, and we're very excited to bring it to you. Each uncut interview will also appear online later, if you would like to hear more.

We also have information for you about how to get involved right now, by having or attending a house party leading to DH. At these house parties, themed around Harry and the messages of love and hope within them, there are several activities you and your friends can take part in to help raise awareness and have fun while doing it. They range from lighting a candle, to sending an email, to writing a letter, to calling special awareness hotlines.

You can read all about these efforts and what you can do to help out here. For more information about the house parties, visit this page.

We will have much more about this in the coming days. In the meantime if you would like to join the effort, host a house party, or simply send messages of support, please contact Jenn at jenn@thehpalliance.org or visit the Harry Potter Alliance web site and MySpace.

Posted by Emerson on Jul 10th | 201 Comments