Abby Connolly
“While we’ve come a long way since the horrors of the witch trials, women today still often face positions where their rights are challenged, and concerns are dismissed.”
Senator DiZoglio also reminded the Senate floor that in the 20th and 21st centuries, the 19 women who were executed but never exonerated had their names cleared through legislation.
But Elizabeth was tragically “overlooked” since she had not yet been hanged for her alleged crimes.
Elizabeth had little to no support in having her name cleared, especially since she had no descendants to act on her behalf.
“That was, at least the case before the North Andover Middle School stepped up to the plate,” says DiZoglio.
Students and their civics teacher, Carrie LaPierre, went to meet with DiZoglio to ask that they all work together in filing a piece of legislation that would clear Elizabeth’s name.
According to DiZoglio, the students in Carrie’s class put in tons of work to research Elizabeth and figure out exactly what it would take to have her officially exonerated.
They spent months learning about writing a bill, drafting advocacy letters, writing postcards to the Governor, and creating extensive presentations about Elizabeth.
“These students are to be celebrated for stepping up to the plate and having the courage to be a voice for someone who hasn’t had a voice for so long,” Senator DiZoglio continued.
“We’re so grateful to them for their hard work and to incredible teachers like Carrie who empower students to be well-informed, active citizens and give them the opportunity to change the world around us.”
The legislation introduced by DiZoglio and the team at North Andover Middle School was approved and passed in late May under Amendment 842. Amazing work!
