Margo Shea

 Last month, I had the pleasure of joining a panel hosted by Dan Lipcan of the Phillips Library and moderated by public historian Kristin Harris about the legacies of the Salem Witch Trials.  There are many events in Salem around Halloween that invoke, in one way or another, the witch hysteria that tore Salem apart in 1692 and led to the execution of 29 people.  This one, however, was different.  With Fara Wolfson from Voices Against Injustice and Erica Feldmann, who started HausWitch Home + Healing as part store, part community center and informal educational hub for 21st century witches,  Harris invited us to explore what the history of Salem means and how contemporary pa gans, wiccans and witches in Salem and around the world orient towards the town and its most celebrated holiday, Halloween.     You can watch the presentation here .  Be sure to let me know what you think.    

Good news!  Nominations are open for the Salem Award.  This is a wonderful opportunity to provide recognition for an organization or individual doing good work to promote social justice and human rights locally, nationally or internationally. As many of you know, I am a  board member of the Salem Award Foundation , a volunteer-run organization that educates and advocates for human rights and social justice as a way of memorializing the witch hysteria of Salem, MA in 1692.  The organization also serves as a steward for the Witch Trial memorial installation, a really beautiful site that is often over-shadowed by the tourist sham-tasticness of Salem. the memorial space For the past twenty- four years, the Salem Award has been awarded to individuals and organizations as a way of honoring the individuals in Salem circa 1692 who spoke up and pointed out the injustices and ludicrousness associated with the witch hysteria.  The organization h...

I was supposed to give this talk today, but it got rained out.  I may have the chance to give it again sometime soon, but I thought I'd post this here in case anyone is interested. The Salem Witch Trial memorial was erected in 1992 to mark the tercentenary of the witch hysteria. It was designed as the first physical structure in the city of Salem to commemorate the trials and the execution of twenty innocent people suspected of witchcraft in 1692.    What a beautiful, reflective, introspective space.  People often forget just how long the memorial was in coming to fruition.   Historic Salem, Inc. created a committee in 1963 to commemorate what they then referred to as the Witch Delusion.   The idea was that the memorial would rest on Gallows Hill, where the hangings are believed to have taken place.   At that point, the Essex Institute, now part of the Peabody Essex Museum, and the Massachusetts Society for the Preservation of A...