A decade’s worth of letter-writing in support of human rights has generated thousands of correspondences from Hamden Hall students to world leaders from around the globe.

Hamden Hall’s chapter of Amnesty International has annually participated in the grassroots effort Write for Rights, which is held in conjunction with Human Rights Day on Dec. 10. According to English Dept. Chair Paul Gustafson, who is co-advisor of our chapter of Amnesty International, 2020 will be the school’s 10th year of participating in the movement. To date, Hamden Hall has been responsible for the mailing of 2,000 letters, all of which have advocated for social justice and human rights.

“The Write for Rights campaign is the largest worldwide grassroots movement in which the people around the world reach out to world leaders demanding justice for people whose human rights have been violated such as being wrongfully imprisoned,” explained senior Amandine Sime.

This year’s event will be virtual via Zoom on December 11 at 7 p.m. Students will “gather” to write letters while being serenaded by Hamden Hall musicians. The musical lineup includes performances by juniors Georgia Yu, Gabriela Rosen, Bailey Smoko, and English teacher Arnie Sabatelli. The goal is to mail 100 letters from within the Hamden Hall community.

“Every year, Amnesty International chooses some of the direst cases of human rights violations. This year, there are going to be seven different cases for which you can advocate. In the last five years, these letters have resulted in at least five prisoners of conscience around the world being freed – in countries such as Turkey, Mexico, South Sudan, and the United States,” said Amandine.

During an Upper School Assembly last week, students learned about several specific cases including a Saudi Arabian woman who was arrested for driving and going out without permission from a male relative. Another individual in the Amazon has dedicated her life to the conservation of the rainforest but has continually been harassed and threatened as a result. In this case, letters will go to the Columbian Ambassador encouraging him to protect members of the Brazilian Rainforest Protection Group.

“As a school, we've written and mailed approximately 2,000 letters to countries including China, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Sudan, Columbia, Iran, and others calling for justice for political prisoners from around the world,” said Mr. Gustafson.

Those steadfast communications and efforts have not gone unnoticed. In 2016, Amnesty International USA honored Hamden Hall’s chapter the Individuals At Risk Award, a commendation given to “local and student groups that go above and beyond” in one of Amnesty's primary action areas.