Storying Harm: Centering Victims of Vermont’s Sterilization Program

In 1931, Vermont passed a sterilization law aimed at curbing what it saw as “undesirable” traits in its population. But who, exactly, was this law applied to — and why? While it is documented that this law primarily targeted people of low socioeconomic standing, and those who were institutionalized and disabled, many instead claim that the program disproportionately affected Indigenous people—a claim which evidence does not support.

In this talk, Witting will explore his work to use archival records to honestly answer these questions, and uncover the stories of those impacted by the law, and consider how and why we construct, and use, historical narratives around state-sanctioned harm, and victimhood. He will also discuss his podcast Those Who Were Harmed, and the questions that arise when we tell stories about past injustice.

Richard Witting is a researcher and public historian whose work focuses on Vermont’s eugenics policies and their legacies. His current research centers on identifying those affected by the 1931 law and challenging the silences and simplifications that often surround public memory of such policies.