Salem Witch Trials Trip

91-1 Peabody St, Salem, MA 01970,Salem MA 01970

27 May, 2023

Description

The trip will include a theatrical reenactment of the witch trials and a walking tour through Salem that will give them a new perspective on oppression, law, and community organizing through a unique historical lens. By interacting with tour guides, actors, and historians, participants will gain insight into career opportunities in theater and history. The witch trial reenactment will also illustrate for youth the roles of lawyers, judges, and community activists in either resisting or perpetuating oppression while presenting these difficult themes in a fun, exciting, and accessible form. The main lessons of the trip will be framed from a racial justice perspective so youth learn to recognize how social narratives, moral panic, and propaganda function historically and in the modern day to perpetuate violence and oppression against marginalized communities. Youth will learn how stock narratives about women were used to perpetuate violence and oppression while preserving the power of Salem’s male judges and politicians. They will also learn how victim narratives and moral panic were/are utilized by oppressors to quell progressive movements. Youth will also gain a historical understanding of the function of propaganda in creating and perpetuating these narratives. The Salem witch trials will also serve as an example to youth of what happens when a community lacks sufficient community organizing to protect its most vulnerable. Lastly, youth will see first-hand the importance of utilizing history and theater to elevate hidden narratives to promote social learning and justice. This collection of experiences and lessons will empower the youth to both recognize patterns of oppression in the current day and fight back against them.