The Massachusetts Witch-Hunt Justice Project has today launched an initiative to exonerate all accused of witchcraft in Massachusetts. Those convicted during the Salem Witch-Hunt have been cleared with legislation. However, the five persons hanged for witchcraft in Boston have never received such recognition, and neither have three people convicted in Boston but reprieved. Further, no apology or acknowledgment has been made for those accused who were not convicted but who nevertheless suffered great losses.
We would appreciate your help to get legislative recognition for all individuals prosecuted for witchcraft by the Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth Colonies, the Province of Massachusetts-Bay, or the Dominion of New England within the present or historic bounds of Massachusetts, including communities in New Hampshire which were once governed by Massachusetts, and we see an amendment to the 1957 Resolve as a potential solution.
This new amendment will include people such as Tituba, who was jailed for fifteen months and disowned, Dorothy Good, the 4-year-old child who came out of her 7-month imprisonment so traumatized she was unable to care for herself the rest of her life, and dozens of others with similar stories.
By clearing the names of the past victims, we honor the dead, educate the living, reduce the potential for future witch-hunts of all kinds, and send a message that we stand opposed to violence against persons accused of witchcraft. Exoneration is a way to show our respect to generations gone before us and provide comfort to the victims’ descendants. This is also an opportunity to learn many lessons applicable today. Through sharing the history of past witch-hunts, we learn how to identify and stop similarly oppressive actions in the present.
We think of violent witch-hunting as a thing of the past, but it is an everyday occurrence all around the globe. It is crucially important that we stand against witch-hunting, as parts of Africa, Asia, and Papua New Guinea – among other places in the world- are engulfed in a crisis of harmful practices related to accusations of witchcraft against people of all ages and genders. Much like the techniques used to enforce colonial witchcraft acts, these modern practices involve psychological and physical harm to innocent persons. Today’s witch-hunts result in banishment, stigmatization, threats of violence, torture, and murder. Families are torn apart, and survivors have great difficulty recovering. By standing up for the Massachusetts victims, we send a signal that the Commonwealth and the United States do not tolerate accusations of witchcraft and associated harmful practices.
Thank you for your time and attention. Please sign and share the petition and let us know how you will help exonerate these unjustly persecuted individuals by completing the volunteer registration form. If you are able, please consider a financial contribution.
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