Witch Hunts: Persecuting the Marginalized

Witch hunts have never been about facts or evidence, but about fear of the unknown and who controls power. Throughout American history, 78% of those accused of witchcraft were women. These women often existed outside the realm of “normal” women. They were independently wealthy. They were healers, unmarried, not white or held positions with some power. The women’s movement of the 1970s identified with these “witches”, wanting to exist outside the roles society had assigned. These women revered the idea of the wise woman, the outcast, the witch. Today, we still have witch hunts and while they typically don’t end in drowning or hangings, they still target women who exist outside of society’s ideals of womanhood.

Join us on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Holland Branch where the Steinem Sisters Collection will host a talking circle about witch hunts and witches. In the meantime, check out these titles about women and power.