Two years ago, a DNA relative informed me of my relation to Alice or Alice Young of Windsor,

the first accused which executed in the English colonies.

This may seem like an old issue, irrelevant after being buried over centuries, but I have

difficulty telling my granddaughters and my grand sons what happened to their ancestors.

We should protect people who did not have the power to defend themselves.

When we talk about witches in the US, you might think black cats and roomsticks, but for

many residents of New England, the subject evokes very real past cruelties.

Those were just some of the voices heard at a public hearing last spring in Hartford, Connecticut.

The hearing was for a bill to exonerate those accused in colonial witch trials in the state.

In the 17th century, at least nine women and two men in Connecticut were hanged for alleged witchcraft.

In this may, the state passed a resolution to clear the names of Connecticut Witchtrial victims,

more than 370 years later.

After the break, we'll talk to the Connecticut State Senator who helped pass the resolution,

a historian, and a descendant of an accused person who advocated for the exoneration of their ancestors,

and what the legacy of accusations means for us in 2023.

I'm Dessa, in for Gen White, and you're listening to the 1A podcast, where we get to the heart of the story.

We'll be back with our discussion after this short break. Stay with us.

Let's get right into it. Joining us from Aurora, Colorado is Sarah Jack.

She is co-founder of the Connecticut Witchtrial Exoneration Project, and co-host of Thou Sheldt Not Suffer,

the Witchtrial podcast. Sarah, thanks for joining me.

You're welcome. Thank you for having me.

And also with us from Windsor, Connecticut is Democratic State Senator Salud Anwar.

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