Female Anti-Slavery Society
The Female Anti-Slavery Society in Salem was active from 1832-1866. They were headquartered at the Lyceum Hall on Church Street.
In 1832, a group of "females of color" in Salem organized the first women's antislavery society in the United States.
It supported secular and Sabbath schools for free blacks and campaigned against slavery. They opposed racial segregation and discrimination in the
northern free states. Two years later, they expanded to include white women and officially re-organized as the Salem Female Anti-Slavery Society.
Though the Remond family was active in this group, many of the members were self-supporting women.
Educator and activist Clarissa Lawrence was a leader of Black women in Salem. From 1807-1823 she taught at the first school in town for Black children. She was also a founding member of Salem's Female Anti-Slavery Society.
In addition to its antislavery work, they established a sewing school for young back women and girls and raised funds to help sustain
a local black church.
The Society disbanded in January of 1866.
