Fall 2001 Lady Liberty League Report Published in CIRCLE Magazine Lady Liberty League Annual Meeting "I Am" Project a Success Exonerating Salem "Witches" Pagan Student Harassed Tempest's Mother to File Lawsuit Teacher Accused of Witchcraft Prison Task Force Update Gathering of Tribes Gets Permanent Site Pagan Educational Network Reorganizes Wiccans Asked to Cleanse Torture Exhibit Mists of Avalon Breaks New Ground Use this list to link directly to the article you wish to read, or simply scroll down for all articles Lady Liberty League Annual Meeting This year's annual Lady Liberty League (LLL) Meeting was held on Wednesday, June 20, at the Pagan Spirit Gathering in southeastern Ohio. About forty Pagans from throughout the USA attended. Selena Fox, executive director of LLL, facilitated the meeting, which included reports from religious freedom activists engaged in various facets of LLL endeavors. Jerrie Hildebrand (Massachussetts) talked about her public relations efforts, including providing the non-Pagan media with accurate information about Paganism, and networking among different Pagan organizations to try and avoid duplication of our efforts. SilverDrake Fey (Illinois), who coordinates LLL Military Affairs work, reported on the addition of Pagan religions to the official US Department of Defense coding manual used by military personnel to state their religious preference. Phyllis Curott (New York) mentioned her attorney networking endeavors and also spoke about the need of Pagans to be politically active in standing up for Pagan rights as well as supporting pro-Pagan rights candidates. Patrick McCollum (California) gave updates on his Pagan rights negotiations with state corrections departments across the USA, and Selena spoke about her Pagan rights work with administrative chaplains in the Bureau of Prisons of the US Department of Justice. Some meeting participants volunteered to help with the growing workload of the LLL Prison Ministry Task Force, which Patrick coordinates. In addition, a cauldron was passed and funds collected to help cover expenses Patrick has incurred in doing LLL work. The meeting concluded with an invocation of Lady Liberty, the Goddess of Freedom, and a blessing the Pagan religious freedom endeavors of LLL. "I Am" Project a Success An estimated 152,918 "I Am" postcards were received by US elected officials, with 40,455 going to the White House. As reported in our last issue, the "I Am" project's aim is to bring to the attention of politicians the size and diversity of the Pagan community. Each postcard contained the phrase, "I am a Pagan _____," with the blank to be filled in with the sender's occupation. Each person was asked to send one to the White House, one to their Representative, and one to each of their Senators. The postcards were to be of local scenes or attractions, to show that the senders were residents of their districts, and were to be mailed the week of Summer Solstice, 2001. Exonerating Salem "Witches" A renewed effort to clear the names of five of the Salem "Witches" has gathered steam and publicity. Most of the victims of the Salem Witchcraft trials have been exonerated long ago, but some of the descendants of these victims have not been satisfied with the way in which this was done. Six of the victims were acquitted in a resolution approved by the Massachusetts Legislature in 1957, but only one of these six people was mentioned by name. The other victims were simply referred to as "certain other persons." The descendants of some of these "other persons" want their ancestors added by name to the resolution. Bridget Bishop, Alice Parker, Margaret Scott, Wilmot Redd, and Susannah Martin were among the 24 people to die in the hysteria that gripped Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. National Public Radio's news program, All Things Considered, covered the move on its July 18, 2001 show, which included a description of the case of Susannah Martin. If anyone has further information on the current status of the Massachusetts bill, please forward it to Lady Liberty League at Dziwozona@excite.com. Pagan Student Harassed Some students at Ervin Middle School in Asheville, North Carolina, as well as their parents, have resorted to anti-Pagan bullying in response to a request that several Christian songs slated for their Spring Choir concert be removed from the presentation. Shana McNelly, a Pagan, asked that six Christian songs, out of a total of nine songs that were to be included in the concert, be removed. But as a result of her request, only two of the six Christian songs were taken off of the concert schedule, and Shana has become the victim of repeated harassment. In the days prior to the concert, she was tormented by fellow students with threats of violence. In one of her classes, all of the students sang the Christian hymn "Jesus Loves Me" to her. The harassment worsened during the actual concert, where Shana was booed by both students and adults in the audience. At the conclusion of the concert, students motioned for the audience to remain seated, then sang one of the songs that had been removed from the schedule. Both the principal and the choir director were present, and made no attempt to stop either the final song or the harassment. When Shana ran off the stage in tears, children called out, "Bye, bye, Pagan, Get out of here!" Once she reached the parking lot, Shana and her family were told they were "Going to Hell," and cars and trucks cruised the parking lot blaring Christian music at them, and for a time, they were prevented from leaving. Luckily, the entire thing was captured on videotape that is now in the hands of authorities. The incident is under investigation by the local Sheriff's Department and has attracted the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union. The local newspaper has printed several letters from concerned Pagans. More letters of support and protest may be addressed to: Letters to the Editor, Asheville Citizen-Times, PO Box 2090, Asheville, NC 28802; or can be emailed to: editor@citizen-times.com. Tempest's Mother to File Lawsuit Denessa Smith, mother of twelve year old suicide victim Tempest Smith, has filed a $10 million lawsuit against the Lincoln Park School District in Michigan. Tempest took her own life this Spring as a result of the unrelenting taunting she received at the middle school in that district. In her journal, Tempest wrote about classmates teasing her about her Wiccan beliefs and crowding around her singing, "Jesus Loves You." The lawsuit was filed in US Federal Court on July 3, 2001, with charges that school administrators knew about the harassment and did nothing to stop it. In 1999, this same school district was successfully sued by a Wiccan high school student who had been banned from wearing a pentacle at school. This case resulted in changes to the school dress code policy. Teacher Accused of Witchcraft School teacher Lauren Berrios was denied tenure at her superintendent's recommendation, allegedly due to accusations of Witchcraft. Berrios has taught at Hampton Bays Elementary, on Long Island, New York, for two years. According to Principal Andrew Albano, she included "cult-like values" and "Wiccan principles" in her lessons. Due to these suspicions, she was ordered not to even mention the soothsayer character when teaching Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. This case got widespread attention when it was mentioned in connection with "Top 10 Ways to Tell Your Teacher is a Witch" by comedian David Letterman on his show which aired nationwide on June 20, 2001. Berrios, who denies she is Wiccan, has filed a $1 million lawsuit against the school district. Prison Task Force Update Lady Liberty League's Prison Ministry Task Force, coordinated by Patrick McCollum, continues to expand its work. Patrick and the Task Force were credited by the Director of Religious Services for Colorado with being instrumental in the inclusion of Wicca and Paganism in their State Mandatory Religious Training Program, the pilot of which began in July. Also, as a result of Patrick's LLL work, the Nevada State Prison System has just allowed the first organization of, and ritual by, a coven. Patrick is also acting as advisor to the state of Oregon on their Statewide Pagan Religious program. In addition, he helped gain religious rights for some logging protesters who are Wiccan who were jailed in Northern California. On July 15, 2001, the first LLL Pagan Prison Ministry training seminar was held in Williamsburg, Virginia, hosted by Drema Baker and CERC. Ten graduates completed the course, which meets the standards required by most states to serve as clergy in their correctional institutions. In addition to the statewide programs, the LLL Prison Ministry Task Force secured religious rights for inmates in nine states this month, including Pennsylvania, Arizona, Massachusetts, Texas, California, Florida, New York, Ohio, and Oregon. These new rights ranged from the approval to wear Pagan religious medallions to the acceptance of Pagan periodicals into the prisons. LLL would like to acknowledge other Pagans of whom we are aware who are also involved in prison ministry work. The work these people have done is significant, and in many cases ground breaking. Paul Beryl and Pete Pathfinder have each worked twenty or more years in prison ministry work. Jacquie Zaleski has volunteered in prisons in Arizona and organized a live-in program for inmates released from prison. Cerridwen Brennan and Martin Anthony volunteer in Colorado and recently made a presentation on the Wiccan religion to federal chaplains. Shane Derby-Buras and Ramona Reeves both volunteer in the California prison system. And finally, Circle Sanctuary's own Selena Fox has been serving as an advisor for numerous State and Federal agencies for many years. The LLL Prison Ministry Task Force needs more volunteers to help reply to mail and work on other projects, plus is looking for other organizations to sponsor training programs. If you are interested, please email Patrick at: OURLADYOFTHEWELS@aol.com, with a carbon copy to Circle at: liberty@circlesanctuary.org. Gathering of Tribes Gets Permanent Site This year's annual Gathering of Tribes, held over Memorial Day Weekend in Isle of Wight, Virginia, drew more controversy. A local Christian group "witnessed" outside the entrance to the gathering, and held prayer meetings in protest. This generated not only media coverage, but record attendance numbers at the gathering. Three hundred people had been expected, but five hundred ended up attending the four day festival. The gathering organizers have just purchased land in Isle of Wight, Virginia for a permanent site to allow for greater numbers of attendees at future events they sponsor. Their land will be open to the public as well as Pagan campers. More information is available at http://www.OutoftheDark.com/Blackwater/. Pagan Educational Network Reorganizes The Pagan Educational Network (PEN) has changed its mission statement to reflect the concentration of its efforts on grassroots activism. While the group will still assist in educational efforts and offer its press kit and educational brochures, it will now focus its energies more on activism. Included in this change are new PEN addresses for both regular mail and cyberspace. The new mailing address is: PEN, PO Box 586, Portage, IN 43658. Their web site has been moved to: http://www.PaganEdNet.org, and their email has changed to: info@PaganEdNet.org. The Boilerplate web site, a Pagan activist letter writing resource, and the Pagan Summit site address have changed to: http://www.PaganEdNet.org/boilerplate.html and http://www.PaganEdNet.org/summit.html, respectively. Wiccans Asked to Cleanse Torture Exhibit On July 16, 2001, Z. Budapest led a group of Wiccans in blessing and cleansing a traveling exhibit for the Torture Museum, at the request of two of the museum's curators. The Museum strives to raise awareness of the continuing practice of torture around the world and honors past victims of atrocities, including devices used against heretics during the Inquisition. Lauren, Fiona, Tracy, Leilani, Jan, Melissa, Melinda, Miri, and Bat joined Budapest in a moving ritual to cleanse the exhibit in a way that would still preserve the memory of those who suffered and not lessen the impact of the experience of those viewing the torture devices. The Museum is at the Presidio in San Francisco, California and has a website at http://www.torturamuseum.com. Mists of Avalon Breaks New Ground Turner Network Television (TNT)'s production of Marion Zimmer Bradley's novel, The Mists of Avalon, premiered over the evenings of July 15 and 16, 2001. Although preview screening had been shown at several Pagan gatherings earlier, including the Pagan Spirit Gathering and Rites of Spring, the July Premiere was the global television debut of a story held dear by many Pagans. Starring Julianna Margulies, Anjelica Houston, and Joan Allen in the lead roles of Morgaine, Vivianne, and Morgause, respectively, the film was directed by Uli Edel and produced by Mark Wolpner and James Coburn. It contained some plot changes from the original novel, but the overall flavor of the story was preserved. The portrayal of Pagans as fully fleshed out characters with both strengths and flaws was respectfully done. Depictions of a Beltane festival were included, and positive, though brief, explanations of different aspects of Pagan beliefs were dispersed throughout the film. Also of note is the fact that the press releases from TNT and most of the reviews and articles about the movie capitalized the word "Pagan," something that is not often done in the mainstream press. Press coverage and reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, including articles in The New York Daily News, TV Guide, and USA Today. The initial rating numbers show that an average of 3.3 million adults age 18-49 tuned in to both nights of "Mists." The Sunday showing was the highest-rated show on basic cable for the week of July 9-15 and it was the highest rated mini-series premiere ever on TNT. Lady Liberty League would like copies of any press materials relating to Mists for our archives. Please send your clippings to: Lady Liberty League, PO Box 219, Mt. Horeb, WI 53572; or email to liberty@circlesanctuary.org.