Witch hunts didn’t end in colonial America. They continue today.
In 2022, we launched The Thing About Witch Hunts to create space for a crucial conversation the world wasn’t having and to educate the public about efforts to bring justice to historical witch trial victims. For over three years, co-hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack have been educating listeners about why we witch hunt, how we witch hunt, and how we stop hunting witches. When the Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project formally launched in 2022, we documented the campaign in real time and gathered oral histories from community members about the much earlier attempts dating back to at least 2008 that laid the foundation for success.
Our listeners were part of Connecticut’s victory. Now, it’s time for the next chapter: bringing justice to five women in Massachusetts who have waited nearly 400 years.
Our Mission: Creating Space for the Conversation
The Thing About Witch Hunts isn’t just a history podcast. We launched this platform to create conversation space for witch hunts and to get the word out about contemporary persecution that most people don’t know is happening.
We cover historical witch trials because understanding the patterns helps us recognize and recognize witch hunting today. We spotlight contemporary witch hunts because they’re happening right now, in every nation around the world, and the world needs to know.
Documenting Connecticut’s Victory
The Thing About Witch Hunts became the platform for education and advocacy focusing on witch hunts. We gathered oral histories from community members about earlier exoneration efforts dating back to at least 2008, honoring the advocates who laid crucial groundwork even when their attempts didn’t succeed.
From 2022 forward, we documented the campaign:
- March 27, 2023: Judiciary Committee vote (28 to 9, bipartisan)
- May 10, 2023: House passage (121 to 30)
- May 25, 2023: Senate passage (33 to 1)
House Joint Resolution 34 absolved 34 victims and apologized to their descendants. Connecticut proved that justice is possible. We mapped the route from decades of setbacks to legislative success. Now Massachusetts needs to finish the job.
Bill H.1927: Five Women Still Wait
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.
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.
Bill H.1927, 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.
Why This Matters: The Same Patterns Operate Today
The 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, isolation and death. Witch hunts never stopped. They continue globally with devastating consequences.
When we advocate for Margaret Jones, Elizabeth Kendall, Alice Lake, Ann Hibbins, and Goody Glover, we stand with every person being accused of witchcraft right now. Their stories are separated by centuries but united by the same persecution, the same violence, the same injustice.
We’ve interviewed dozens of experts working on the ground. We’ve shared contemporary victims’ stories. We’ve connected listeners to advocacy organizations like INAWARA (International Network Against Witchcraft Accusations and Ritual Attacks) and relief organizations like AFAW (Advocacy For Alleged Witches).
The Five Women
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 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.
We’ll be documenting this on the podcast and we hope to report that our listeners helped make it happen.
How Listeners Can Take Action
You’ve been learning with us. You understand the connections between historical and contemporary witch hunting. Now we need you to act.
1. Sign the Petition
Visit change.org/witchtrials. If you signed for Connecticut, sign again for Massachusetts.
2. Submit Written Testimony
Your testimony can include:
- Those hanged for witchcraft were innocent
- What you’ve learned about witch hunting from experts
- Why acknowledging historical injustice matters for addressing contemporary witch hunts
- How understanding these patterns has changed your perspective
- Why exoneration strengthens our collective commitment to human rights
3. Share Widely
Spread awareness about H.1927. Tag us and use hashtags like #H1927, #WitchTrialJustice, #maswitchhuntjusticeproject #EndWitchHunts.
4. Contact Massachusetts Legislators
Tell them you support H.1927. Massachusetts exonerated the Salem victims but left the Boston victims behind. Ask your legislators to honor all the witch trial victims and ensure every person wrongly convicted receives justice and an official acknowledgment.
5. Keep Learning
Listen to our episodes on Connecticut and Massachusetts witch trials, and our coverage of contemporary witch hunting worldwide.
Why Exoneration Matters
By formally exonerating these victims and acknowledging what was done to them, Massachusetts demonstrates that confronting injustice honestly matters, 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 and 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.
Witch hunting is not a relic of the past. By understanding these patterns and acknowledging injustices, we can better support communities currently grappling with witchcraft accusations, providing education and resources to protect vulnerable people from persecution.
Be Part of Ending Witch Hunts
The Thing About Witch Hunts exists to create conversation space and get the word out. We documented Connecticut’s journey from frustration to victory. We gathered voices and honored decades of advocacy work. We want to document Massachusetts’ success too.
Five women have waited nearly four centuries for justice.
Will you be one of the voices that finally brings it to them?
The Thing About Witch Hunts Co-hosted by Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack A project of End Witch Hunts nonprofit organization
Listen wherever you get podcasts | aboutwitchhunts.com/
Take Action:
- massachusettswitchtrials.org
- connecticutwitchtrials.org
- aboutsalem.com (companion podcast: The Thing About Salem)
- endwitchhunts.org
Support our work to end witch hunts worldwide.
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