Belinda Nash of Virginia Beach is fighting to correct a centuries-old wrong. Monday will mark the 300th anniversary of Grace Sherwood's conviction as a witch, the only recorded Virginia conviction in a trial by water. Nash hopes Gov. Tim Kaine will clear Sherwood's name to mark the anniversary. He should.
It's hardly the most pressing matter facing the state, but during the summer doldrums, after the General Assembly has gone home and a budget is finally in place, Kaine surely has time to sign a piece of paper and belatedly set things right.
Dunking Sherwood in the Western Branch of the Lynnhaven River was a manifestation of irrational fear, not justice. Early Virginians wrongfully singled out one set of beliefs in a land founded on tolerance. Today, the distant heirs of witches, Wiccans, compose one of the fastest growing religions in the nation.
Sherwood's conviction is a small stain on Virginia's heritage compared to many other wrongs, but it is one for which Kaine, speaking for all Virginians, can and should apologize. Monday's anniversary is the perfect opportunity.
http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/wb/wb/xp-72836
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