End Witch Hunts

Tag: exoneration

  • The Force of Our Advocates in 2025: Ending Witch Hunts with Borderless Education and Measurable Impact

    Many distinct teaching moments spanning continents, generations, and contexts capture what 2025 has been about for End Witch Hunts.

    This year, the public reached out to us for more information and educational support.  A middle schooler discovered us through our The Thing About Witch Hunts podcast episode “Salem Aftermath” with screenwriter Tom Phillip and reached out for help with a National History Day project on the Salem witch trials. We interviewed for their project documentary and the questions we were asked about how the Salem witch trials became so devastating were so valuable we featured the same questions for an episode on The Thing About Salem podcast. 

    Another key inquiry came from a police director in a country where we collaborate with grassroots advocates. He reached out and requested a training seminar for dozens of area police directors on witchcraft accusation intervention and survivor support for their local communities. This year, we also engaged with high school and college students and faculty. Executive Director Sarah Jack connected with a high school English language class in Finland through DKG International for a virtual classroom visit about witch hunting, and End Witch Hunts consulted with a community college librarian who developed a Salem Witch Trials history exhibit for their fall programming.

    These connections across continents, generations, and contexts are the heart of our work. We’re connecting past and present witchcraft accusation stories, bridging communities across oceans, and piercing the complexity of witch hunting to make the subject accessible to anyone who wants to understand it.

    As a volunteer-driven Colorado nonprofit organization, everything we accomplish depends on the dedication of people who believe this work matters. Our board members, contributors, and partners donate their money, time, and expertise to ensure witch trial victims are remembered and modern advocacy efforts are growing.

    A group photo of three individuals smiling, one wearing a 'Vietnam Era Veteran' cap and another with a flower brooch on their shirt.
    End Witch Hunts board member Josh Hutchinson (left) sitting with director Darah Jack (right) and volunteer Tony Griego (middle) on February 1, 2025

    Reaching New Audiences Through Video Podcasts

    Our one-of-a-kind video podcasts hit more milestones again this year. To date, we have reached over 100 countries with over 270 episodes featuring more than 150 specialized experts from around the world. This year, we launched a second weekly video podcast, The Thing About Salem, on which we dig deep into the infamous and misunderstood 1692-1693 witchcraft trials with focused storytelling and expert insights. These volunteer-led educational podcasts have become the trusted media resource for students, researchers, and everyone learning about or researching witch trial history and alleged witch persecution.

    This October and November brought our best statistics in three years of podcasting, and our YouTube channel crossed 900 subscribers. The Thing About Witch Hunts was recognized as a top 15 percent video podcast on Spotify and The Thing About Salem podcast was named a “2025 Instant Hit Show,” more popular than 71 percent of other new shows. We produce the only weekly video podcasts exclusively covering witch hunting and provide an essential global platform for global representation and expert discussion. Every episode represents hours of volunteer research, interviewing, editing, and production work dedicated to education. With over 270 episodes published, we have surpassed the 200-episode threshold that fewer than 3% of podcasts achieve. Our consistency in delivering new episodes weekly reflects our unwavering commitment to advocacy against witch hunting.

    Partnerships and Community Connections for The Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project

    2025 brought the Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project into conversation with a larger community. On The Thing About Witch Hunts, we explored the Springfield Museums’ exhibit on convicted witch Hugh Parsons, whose story connects to Alice Young’s daughter, Alice Young Beamon, we examined Connecticut’s witch trial history and The Witch of Blackbird Pond with the Wethersfield Historical Society, and we discussed the Glebe House Museum’s community production Ground Zero: Witchcraft in Connecticut, which tells the stories of accused witches Moll Cramer, Katherine Harrison, and Rebecca Greensmith. These collaborations helped us reach people who might never have sought out a podcast or known about Connecticut’s witchcraft accusations. In total, we added five Connecticut humanities-themed podcast episodes this year, including a new author talk with End Witch Hunts executive board member Beth Caruso.

    Our Community Day of Remembrance for Connecticut witch trial victims brought together dozens of local and national volunteers in partnership with Hartford’s Old State House, Hartford’s Ancient Burying Ground, and Windsor’s community television network, WIN-TV. The event honored all those accused of witchcraft in colonial Connecticut and celebrated the passage of state legislation championed by House Representative Jane Garibay and Senator Saud Anwar acknowledging this historic injustice. The program included a history presentation by student William Schloat, a performance of The Hanging of Rebecca Greensmith: A Symphony in Spoken Word by Debra Walsh and Virginia Wolf, and an expert panel featuring author Beth Caruso, advocates Tony Griego and Mary Bingham, author Richard Ross III, Representative Garibay, and Senator Anwar. Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack moderated, and Dr. Kathy Hermes provided a recorded introduction about drafting a purposeful witchcraft accusation resolution. A flower remembrance ceremony was led by Alice Young descendants. You can watch the event on WIN-TV’s YouTube channel and hear our reflections on its success on The Thing About Witch Hunts podcast.

    Audience attends the event Remembering the Innocent Victims of the Connecticut Witch Trials on February 1, 2025
    Guests gathered for Remembering the Innocent Victims of the Connecticut Witch Trials on February 1, 2025

    Building Bridges Across the Globe

    World Day Against Witch Hunts, established by Missio (the Catholic mission organization) in 2020, is observed every August 10th to draw attention to the global crisis of Harmful Practices Related to Accusations of Witchcraft and Ritual Attacks. We commemorated the day with a live event and podcast featuring Amnesty International Ghana and the Coalitions Against Witchcraft Accusations (CAWA), bringing global attention to ongoing witchcraft accusations and violence in Northern Ghana and around the world. This marked the first public collaborative conversation between these organizations dedicated to witch hunting advocacy.

    Promotional graphic for the World Day Against Witch Hunts event on August 10, 2025, featuring details about a free webinar on supporting survivors of witchcraft accusations in Ghana.
    Promotional graphic for a panel featuring Amnesty International Ghana and the Coalition Against Witchcraft Accusations held on World Day Against Witch Hunts, August 10, 2025

    Honoring the Victims: Research and Remembrance

    Board member and witch trial descendant Mary Bingham continues her meticulous volunteer research into the lives of accused witches, and she’s created a comprehensive youtube playlist of Spiritual and Ritual Abuse in the United States with victim stories. All of this content is freely available on the youtube channel SarahWildes1692, reflecting our commitment to accessible education. On SarahWildes1692, you can also view the Tituba memorial brick, which was recently installed on behalf of our organization at the House of The Seven Gables. 

    Board member and author Beth Caruso expanded her presentations across New England and added extra fall witch walks to her programming in Windsor, Connecticut to accommodate demand and interest. Her podcast episode about Alice Young became one of our highest-performing episodes.  

    End Witch Hunts board members visit the Alice Young and Lydia Gilbert memorial bricks in Windsor, CT Pictured (from left to right): Mary Louise-Bingham, Beth Caruso, and Josh Hutchinson
    End Witch Hunts board members visit the Alice Young and Lydia Gilbert memorial bricks in Windsor, CT
    Pictured (from left to right): Mary Louise-Bingham, Beth Caruso, and Josh Hutchinson

    Behind the Scenes: Technical Expertise and Innovation

    Board member, treasurer, and witch trial descendant Josh Hutchinson’s volunteer work as podcast producer has been essential to our educational mission. He leads every aspect of production for both The Thing About Witch Hunts and The Thing About Salem, from researching guests to final editing. Josh also maintains and updates our websites, ensuring our resources remain accessible and user-friendly. This year, he continued to develop the Connecticut Witch Trial Trail, available at connecticutwitchtrials.org, offering an interactive way to explore Connecticut’s witch trial sites and stories.

    Promotional graphic for an expert panel discussion titled 'Building a Global Response to Witch Hunts' featuring leaders from the International Network Against Witchcraft Accusations and Ritual Attacks, scheduled for November 11. Includes event details, panelists, and organizations involved.
    Poster for the Building a Global Response to Witch Hunts, which featured the International Network Against Witchcraft Accusations and Ritual Attacks (INAWARA)

    Executive Director Sarah Jack: Leading Through Connection

    Witch trial descendant Sarah Jack spent 2025 pursuing new connections and collaborations wherever doors opened. From virtual classroom visits with Finnish students through DKG International to consulting with a community college library developing a Salem Witch Trials history exhibit, she continued to serve as a spokeswoman, building global amplification of advocacy, whether speaking to individual students, community groups, or international organizations. She co-hosts both The Thing About Witch Hunts and The Thing About Salem podcasts and will speak as part of the International Network Against Witchcraft Accusations and Ritual Attacks speaker series in January 2026. Her work exemplifies End Witch Hunts’ commitment to connecting with any individual or group ready to engage with this mission.

    Growing Our Content and Community

    Thank you for sharing our blogs with your community! Our social platforms and email newsletter subscribers have grown. We’ve expanded our End Witch Hunts Bookshop selections, making it easier for supporters to shop quality books on witch trials and related topics. When you purchase through our affiliate link, www.bookshop.org/shop/endwitchhunts you support our nonprofit work, even if you’re buying books not in our collection. Your generous support helps us continue our volunteer-driven projects.

    We’re passionate about closely reading books that are grounded in solid research and primary sources and actually show the evidence. For the podcasts, we’re constantly reading across different fields and disciplines, always looking for authors who’ve done the hard work of going back to original documents, conducting rigorous studies, or presenting firsthand accounts with art and creativity. There’s something invaluable about engaging with material that doesn’t just tell you what to think but shows you how we know what we know. We’d encourage you to seek out these kinds of books, too.

    Looking Ahead in Massachusetts

    Massachusetts legislation that would extend exoneration to witch trial victims beyond Salem is currently being reviewed by the General Court’s Joint Committee on the Judiciary. This bill will clear the eight innocent people who were convicted of witchcraft in Boston. A committee hearing was held in November, and we’re awaiting a decision on whether the bill will be sent on to the House for a vote. The Massachusetts Witch Hunt Justice Project has benefited from impressive community mobilization around this effort, with testimony in support of bill H1927 coming from historians, genealogists, descendants, and international advocates. 

    In other news from the commonwealth, Salem will celebrate its 400th anniversary in 2026, honoring its history as Massachusetts Bay Colony’s first town and the journey from thriving port city to tourist destination. We’re exploring ways to participate in the heritage events, bringing attention to the witch trial victims and their stories during this milestone year. 

    Members of the Massachusetts Witch-Hunt Justice Project stand with Rep. Steven Owens at the foot of a staircase in the State House.
    A photo opportunity following the November 25, 2025 hearing in the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.
    Pictured, from left to right: David Allen Lambert, Sarah Jack, Rep. Steven Owens, Marilynne Roach, Dan Gagnon, and Antonio Infante

    Gratitude and Philanthropic Support

    None of this would be possible without our dedicated volunteer board members, our podcast guests who generously share their expertise, the museums and organizations that partner with us, and our growing community of listeners, readers, and supporters. Every donation, every shared post, every hour volunteered amplifies the voices of the innocent. 

    One podcast listener recently described our work as covering “witch trials from past to present with depth and breadth in a remarkably short timeframe.” That’s exactly what we’re trying to do. Not just tell stories, but actively build connections, honor victims, and work toward a world where accusations of witchcraft no longer destroy lives.

    Our education and advocacy are growing because people like you support us through donations, volunteer time, content sharing, or simply listening and learning. Thank you for making 2025 possible. We’re entering 2026 ready to pursue every new connection and collaboration that comes our way.

    To learn more about our work, listen to our podcasts, support our nonprofit mission, or volunteer your expertise, visit our website, endwitchhunts.org, and follow us on social media.

  • This Giving Tuesday, Stand Against Witch Hunts

    End Witch Hunts charts a solitary path as the only American nonprofit created for witchcraft accusation awareness and witch trial history. This Giving Tuesday, we’re asking you to stand with us in this vital work.

    A Unique Mission for Giving Tuesday

    We are the ONLY U.S. organization dedicated to ending literal witch hunts, both past and present. While witch trials may seem like distant history to many Americans, the reality is that witchcraft accusations continue to destroy lives around the world today including in the U.S. Additionally, here at home, victims of historical witch trials remain legally guilty centuries after their deaths.

    Our mission bridges these two realities: we work to restore justice to historical victims while raising awareness about contemporary witch hunts that still claim lives globally. This Giving Tuesday is your opportunity to support the only American organization with unique programming that includes two weekly podcasts featuring specialized experts from around the world dedicated to this crisis.

    What We Accomplished in 2025

    This year demonstrated the growth, breadth, and impact of our work:

    We presented educational programs in New England and Colorado, bringing witch hunt awareness into communities that introduced the  history and ongoing global crises. We consulted on building a Salem witch hunt exhibit at a community college library, helping ensure accurate historical information reaches students and the public.

    Through our two weekly podcasts, The Thing About Witch Hunts and The Thing About Salem, we created platforms for historians, advocates, and experts from around the world to share their specialized research. These podcasts amplify the voices of victims and survivors, past and present, ensuring their stories are heard and remembered world wide.

    We brought awareness to critical dates: World Day Against Witch Hunts on August 10, International Women’s Day on March 8, and International Albinism Awareness Day on June 13. These observances connect historical persecution patterns to contemporary human rights issues.

    We connected efforts to vital resources and networks, building bridges between advocates, researchers, and organizations working to end witchcraft accusations worldwide.

    And perhaps most significant to the U.S., we testified before the Massachusetts legislature to exonerate eight Boston witch trial victims who remain legally guilty after 375+ years. These men and women deserve justice, and we’re dedicated to clearing their names.

    100% Volunteer Run: Your Giving Tuesday Donation Goes Further

    Here’s what makes End Witch Hunts different: we are 100% volunteer run. Every single dollar you donate goes directly to our mission: education, advocacy, memorialization, and justice. We are dedicated volunteers working to end witch hunts and restore dignity to the accused. When you choose End Witch Hunts for your Giving Tuesday donation, you can be confident your gift creates maximum impact.

    Why This Work Matters

    Witch hunt history is too often misunderstood, trivialized, or dismissed entirely. The true stories of the real people who suffered and the behaviors that enabled their persecution have been lost to myth and misconception. We’re changing that narrative by bringing accurate history to light and helping communities understand what actually happened and why it matters today.

    Witch hunts didn’t end in the 17th century. They continue today in communities around the world, driven by the same fears, scapegoating, and accusatory behaviors that fueled historical persecutions. By helping people truly understand the past through rigorous research and expert voices, we equip them to recognize and address these same dangerous patterns in the present.

    When we work to exonerate historical victims, we’re not just correcting the legal record. We’re restoring their stories, closing centuries old chapters of injustice, and affirming that truth and dignity matter, even across the span of centuries.

    When we educate communities about the realities of witch hunt history and contemporary accusations, we’re building awareness that can save lives and prevent persecution. 

    Make Your Giving Tuesday Gift Count

    This Giving Tuesday, help us continue this vital work. Your Giving Tuesday gift, whether $10, $50, or $100, makes a real difference in our ability to educate, advocate, memorialize, and seek justice.

    Looking for a meaningful way to participate in Giving Tuesday 2025? Be the one to join us in standing against witch hunts, past and present.

    Donate today: www.endwitchhunts.org/donate

    Together, we can create a world where no one is persecuted for witchcraft accusations and where historical victims finally receive the justice they deserved all along. Make your Giving Tuesday donation to End Witch Hunts and support the only organization doing this critical work.

  • Justice for Witch Trial Victims: Supporting Massachusetts Bill H.1927

    Witch hunts didn’t end in colonial America. They continue today.

    End Witch Hunts is dedicated to educating the public about both historical and contemporary witchcraft persecution. Through our podcasts, social media, traditional media, publications, and presentations, we raise awareness about harmful practices related to accusations of witchcraft and ritual attacks worldwide, working toward their elimination. We collaborate with experts and policymakers, and we partner with organizations such as historical societies, libraries, museums, and educational institutions.

    Right now, the state of Massachusetts has an opportunity to demonstrate that confronting historical injustice matters, both for the past and for the present.

    Bill H.1927: Exonerating Massachusetts Witch Trial Victims

    Between 1647 and 1688, five women were executed for alleged witchcraft in Boston, Massachusetts: Margaret Jones, Elizabeth Kendall, Alice Lake, Ann Hibbins, and Goody Glover. These women endured false accusations, torturous examinations, and unjust executions based on fear and prejudice.

    Nearly four centuries later, their names remain tainted by wrongful convictions.

    Bill H.1927,“An Act exonerating certain individuals accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts” will receive a hearing by the Joint Committee on the Judiciary on Tuesday, November 25, 2025 at 10:00 AM proposed by Rep. Steven Owens of Cambridge and Watertown, will clear the names of 8 individuals convicted of witchcraft in Boston and recognize all others who suffered witchcraft accusations in Massachusetts. This legislation represents more than clearing historical records. It’s about acknowledging injustice, honoring the memory of those who suffered, and demonstrating our commitment to learning from past mistakes.

    Massachusetts has exonerated all those convicted during the Salem witch trials of 1692 and 1693, but left these five women behind. They remain the only people executed for witchcraft in New England who have never been cleared. It’s time to finish the job.

    Why This Matters for Our Work

    Historical and Contemporary Witch Hunts Are Connected

    The same patterns that led to executions in colonial Massachusetts operate in witch hunts today:

    • Scapegoating outsiders and vulnerable community members
    • Targeting vulnerable women, especially those who are unprotected
    • Using fear to justify violence and injustice
    • Denying victims basic rights and due process

    In every nation around the world, people are still being accused of witchcraft. They still face violence, imprisonment, and death because of these accusations. Witch hunts never stopped. They continue globally with devastating consequences for victims and their families.

    When we advocate for Margaret Jones, Elizabeth Kendall, Alice Lake, Ann Hibbins, and Goody Glover, we also stand with every person around the world who is being accused of witchcraft right now. Their stories are separated by centuries but united by the same persecution, the same violence, the same injustice.

    Exoneration Sends a Powerful Message

    By formally exonerating these victims and acknowledging what was done to them, Massachusetts can demonstrate that it’s possible to confront injustice honestly, both historically and in its ongoing, present day reality. This legislation acknowledges that:

    • These women did not have a diabolical pact with the devil. They were innocent people falsely accused.
    • It was human agency that executed alleged witches, not a community deluded by the devil. People made these choices and people must take responsibility for the injustice.
    • Previous efforts are incomplete. Massachusetts has exonerated those convicted during the 1692-1693 Salem witch trials, but has never issued an official acknowledgment of all Massachusetts witch trial victims. Connecticut has completely absolved its witch trial victims and apologized to descendants. Massachusetts can follow this model and finish the job.
    • Witch hunting is not a relic of the past. Witch hunts continue today globally.  By understanding historical witch trials and acknowledging their injustices, we can better support communities currently grappling with witchcraft accusations, providing them with education and resources to resist violence and protect vulnerable community members from persecution.

    Building on Success: The Connecticut Model

    The Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project was founded in 2022. On May 25, 2023, Connecticut passed House Joint Resolution 34, “Resolution Concerning Certain Witchcraft Convictions in Colonial Connecticut” by overwhelming bipartisan majorities. The resolution absolved 34 victims and apologized to their descendants.

    The Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project connected the resolution to contemporary witch hunts, strengthening support for the legislation and educating the public about ongoing witch hunting.

    Now we’re supporting the Massachusetts Witch-Hunt Justice Project in achieving similar success for their victims.

    The Five Women Who Deserve Justice

    Margaret Jones (executed 1648) was a woman whose medicines were deemed too effective, her skill too powerful. When neighbors’ misfortunes occurred, she became the scapegoat. She maintained her innocence to the very end.

    Elizabeth Kendall (executed between 1647 and 1651) was falsely accused by a nurse who blamed her for a child’s death, a child who had actually died from the nurse’s own negligence. Even after the nurse’s fraudulent testimony was revealed, Elizabeth was never exonerated.

    Alice Lake (executed c. 1650) was a mother of four who had been judged harshly for choices she made as a young woman. That judgment haunted her and was weaponized against her when witchcraft accusations arose.

    Ann Hibbins (executed 1656) was called “quarrelsome” for speaking her mind and refusing to accept unfair treatment. Her husband had been an Assistant in the Massachusetts General Court, but even her connections couldn’t save her from being targeted as a widow with property.

    Goody Glover (executed 1688) was an Irish Catholic widow whose first language was Gaelic. An outsider within her community, she became an easy target when children exhibited strange behaviors.

    These women were not witches. They were healers, mothers, widows, and immigrants who became victims of fear, misogyny, and injustice.

    The Hearing: November 25, 2025

    The Joint Committee on the Judiciary will hold a hearing on Bill H.1927 on November 25, 2025. This is a critical opportunity for advocates, descendants, and anyone who cares about justice to voice their support.

    How You Can Support This Effort

    1. Sign the Petition

    Visit change.org/witchtrials and add your name to those calling for justice in Massachusetts.

    2. Submit Testimony

    Written testimony can be submitted to the Massachusetts Joint Committee on the Judiciary. Consider including:

    • Your connection to witch trial justice or End Witch Hunts’ mission
    • Why acknowledging historical injustice matters for addressing contemporary witch hunts
    • The truth that these were innocent people, not practitioners of harmful magic
    • How exoneration strengthens our collective commitment to human rights

    3. Share Widely

    Use your platforms to spread awareness about H.1927. Connect historical witch trials to ongoing persecution. Use hashtags like #H1927, #WitchTrialJustice, #EndWitchHunts.

    4. Contact Massachusetts Legislators

    Tell them you support H.1927. Explain why this matters not just historically, but for our understanding of persecution and scapegoating today.

    5. Learn More

    Our Broader Mission

    End Witch Hunts is dedicated to educating the public about both historical and contemporary witchcraft persecution. Our educational efforts include podcasts, social media, traditional media, publications, and presentations. We collaborate with experts and policymakers, and we partner with organizations such as historical societies, libraries, museums, and educational institutions.

    We proudly support the International Network Against Witchcraft Accusations and Ritual Attacks (INAWARA) and advocate for the implementation of UN Human Rights Council Resolution 47/8, which calls upon nations, NGOs, and individuals around the world to take actions toward ending harmful practices related to witchcraft accusations and ritual attacks.

    Our Projects Include:

    The Time to Act is Now

    Legislative windows can close quickly. The Massachusetts legislature needs to hear from citizens who care about justice, not just historical justice, but justice for all victims of witch hunting, past and present.

    Five women hanged for witchcraft have waited nearly four centuries for their names to be cleared.

    Will you be one of the voices that finally brings them justice?

    End Witch Hunts A vision for a world without witch hunts, where all victims are exonerated, modern victims and their families receive justice, and tribute is paid to past victims.

    For more information about our work, visit endwitchhunts.org To support Massachusetts exoneration efforts, visit massachusettswitchtrials.org To learn about Connecticut’s success, visit connecticutwitchtrials.org