Dumbledore Sparks Fight for Real-World Justice

Nonprofit Harry Potter Alliance uses books as inspiration
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 20, 2009 1:45 PM CDT
Dumbledore Sparks Fight for Real-World Justice
In this film publicity image released by Warner Bros., Michael Gambon portrays Albus Dumbledore in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."   (AP Photo/Warner Bros., Jaap Buitendjik)

Harry Potter’s battle against injustice in the wizarding world has prompted fans to take the fight to the Muggle universe, the Los Angeles Times reports. Inspired by moral teachings of Albus Dumbledore, Harry’s mentor, the nonprofit Harry Potter Alliance has registered voters, collected some 13,000 books to donate to community centers, and raised $15,000 for displaced persons in Darfur and Burma.

The group was started in 2005 by Andrew Slack, now 29, who calls himself a Potter “rabbi.” He says Potter readers should oppose prison torture the way Dumbledore opposed Dementors and should fight for fair trade, like Dumbledore in his support of house-elf rights. J.K. Rowling applauds the effort: “What did my books preach against throughout? Bigotry, violence, struggles for power, no matter what," she told Time. “All of these things are happening in Darfur. So they really couldn't have chosen a better cause."
(More Harry Potter stories.)

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