How Harry Potter fans won a battle against child slavery
After four years of discussions, 400,000 signatures, and a relentless commitment to Harry Potter鈥檚 code of ethics, members from the Harry Potter Alliance (HPA) received a letter stating all Harry Potter chocolate products sold at Warner Bros. outlets will be 100 percent Fair Trade or UTZ certified.
Joshua Berger, the president of Harry Potter Global Franchise Development, stated in a letter: 鈥淏y the end of 2015, and sooner when possible, all Harry Potter chocolate products sold at Warner Bros. outlets and through our licensed partners will be 100-percent or .鈥�
This is not the first time the nonprofit coalition of fans has graced headlines. The group, whose mission is to use 鈥渢he power of story to inspire and effect social change,鈥� recently launched a campaign inspired by Suzanne Collins鈥� 鈥淗unger Games鈥� trilogy to fight social injustice in the US. The group was also cited for their help in providing aid to Haiti and Darfur.听
When HPA movement director Andrew Slack met advocate Lisa Valdez, his eyes were opened to the labor abuses and child enslavement practices of . What better place to start than with their own favorite franchise鈥檚 branded chocolate products?
HPA launched their initiative during Halloween 2010, asking fans to demand that Warner Bros. meet high ethical standards for chocolate. An outside group for current standards. HPA organized petition signings, and sent Howlers鈥攙ideos named after screaming letters in the novels鈥攕haming the . Eventually, their tactics worked.
鈥淲e value and appreciate the collective voice of the Harry Potter Alliance members, and Harry Potter fans all over the world, and their enthusiasm and love for the world of Harry Potter,鈥� .
Matt Maggiacomo, the executive director of HPA, praised the efforts of the fan group for not only achieving the long-time goal of fair trade chocolate, but for instigating change that will have far-reaching effects.
鈥淚 feel so grateful to be part of this community of enthusiastic and driven people,鈥� . 鈥淢ost importantly though, I鈥檓 happy that this victory means that less children will be forced into slavery. Less families will be torn apart by brutal, inhumane business practices. Warner Bros.鈥� commitment to fair trade chocolate will bring increased awareness to the issue and encourage more major corporations to commit to ethical cocoa sourcing.鈥�
Henry Jenkins, a professor at the University of Southern California who has studied HPA, explores the unique power fan groups can have in influencing change. One thing that HPA does is effectively develop messaging and strategies that encourage change in a way that people can stand behind.
鈥淭he idea of civic imagination is, before we can change the world, we have to imagine what a better world would like, we have to imagine ourselves as political agents,鈥� . 鈥淚 would say what the Harry Potter Alliance does very well is foster the cultural imagination.鈥�
So what鈥檚 next for the social advocate fan group? Who knows, but the group will continue fighting for social justice, and hope this victory encourages others to do the same.
鈥淸Harry Potter] represents righteousness, nobility, love, so much beauty and a place of safety that people go to, and moral authority. If the 鈥楬arry Potter鈥� brand were to move something like fair trade, it would be making a statement that not only is the 鈥楬arry Potter鈥� brand a cut above the rest but that [other franchises] have to catch up to it,鈥� .
