Salem Witchcraft Tercentenary Committee Records

The Salem Witch Trials Tercentenary Committee began as an ad-hoc advisory committee established by Mayor Anthony Salvo. The committee began meeting on April 22, 1986 and focused on developing historically accurate programming and selecting a memorial design to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Salem Witch Trials. The winning design by James Cutler and Maggie Smith was chosen from 246 entries and consists of twenty granite benches projecting from a stone wall. Each bench is inscribed with the name of a victim and their execution date. The Salem Witch Trials Memorial was dedicated in August 1992 by Elie Wiesel (1928-2016), Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor. The first Salem Award for Human Rights and Social Justice was presented to Gregory Allan Williams, known for his heroism during the Rodney King race riots in Los Angeles, California. Although the Salem Witch Trials Tercentenary Committee held its final meeting in May 1993, the Salem Awards Foundation continues to care for the memorial and holds award ceremonies annually. In 2018 the foundation changed its name to Voices Against Injustice to reflect its mission of promoting awareness of social injustice issues, while reflecting on the lessons of the Salem Witch Trials.