By Jenn Stripling
[email protected]

“You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.” Albus Dumbledore spoke these words and he could not have put it any better. In the world today, we still face the judgment of others.

To write ‘mudblood’ on her arms was an event started on Facebook that took place on Feb. 15 to “spread the magic of love, acceptance, and equality.”

Whether it is due to the color of your skin, your gender, the language that you speak, the clique you belong to, your sexual orientation, or the blood that runs through your veins, no one is safe and that is why Harry Potter fans have come together to protest that intolerance will not be tolerated.

When it comes down to standing up for what you believe, many shy away from being themselves, afraid of the consequences they will receive. I personally don’t blame them. I wouldn’t want to deal with the bullying, the name-calling, the harassing, and the overall problems that come with being different.

On another note, I have been raised in an environment where my individuality was never hindered in any way and I think every human should have that right.

The message that founders Travis Peter Kuntz and Erika Bingham wanted to spread was that, “We write ‘mudblood’ on our arms this day not only to remember the pain inflicted on Hermione Granger by Bellatrix Lestrange for being born to Muggles, but also to acknowledge the hardships people have faced for being perceived as different.”

With over 34,000 people who participated in this event, including my friends and myself, the inaugural annual event was off to a fantastic start.

Even though, as always, there were those posting negative comments and being flatout rude, but those who believe in magic stood their ground and backed what they believe.

One faithful Facebook follower, Prudence Yic Moselakgomo posted, “[I] wrote Mudblood on her Hands! Not just for Hermione Granger but for everyone who’s ever been discriminated against just because they didn’t fit ‘The Perfect Image.’ I am a Mudblood, today, tomorrow, and for eternity!”