Remond, Sarah Parker

From Salem Links and Lore

Sarah Parker Remond (1826-94),born in Salem and daughter of caterer John Remond, was deeply involved with the antislavery cause.

"The ninth child of two free born and economically secure black parents, her life was unusual among African Americans. Before her death Sarah carried her family’s legacy well beyond the shores of her native land. With financial security rooted primarily in food catering and hair salons, the men and women of the Remond clan actively supported antislavery and equal rights for all. In January 1859 Sarah Parker Remond delivered her first lecture in Liverpool, England, gradually incorporating Ireland and Scotland into her itinerary" according to the website Blackpast.org

Remond was one of the founders of the Salem Female Anti-Slavery Society in 1834. She later became an internationally renowned antislavery lecturer and toured the New England states. In 1858, she appeared at the National Women's Rights Convention in New York City.

Remond married Lazarro Pinto and settled in Italy, practicing medicine for twenty years until her death in 1894.

Her brother Charles Lenox Remond was a gifted orator and was active in anti-slavery meetings.

In 1999, Sarah Parker Remond was included among six women honored in the first public art memorial to historic contributions of women to public life in Massachusetts. This art piece features bronze busts of these six women: Dorothea Lynde Dix, Lucy Stone, Sarah Parker Remond, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, Mary Kennedy O'Sullivan, and Florence Hope Luscomb. This art memorial to women called "Hear Us" hangs prominently outside Doric Hall where tours of the State House begin.

In 2014, through the efforts of Marilyn Richardson, retired MIT professor and attorney Francis Mayo, a plaque honoring Sarah Parker Remond has been placed in the cemetery in Rome where she was buried.

An historic marker was erected in front of Hamilton Hall honoring the legacy of Salem activists, the Remond Family. It was initiated by the group Suffrage100MA which placed five new markers throughout the state on the National Votes for Women Trail. It was unveiled on June 23rd, 2022.

See Also

  • Vertical File in Salem Collection - Black History
  • Vertical File in Salem Collection - Remond Family
  • "Salem abolitionist honored in Rome cemetery" Salem News, Jan. 20, 2014, p. 1
  • "Heroics of six women saluted: State House wall lauds their legacy" Boston Sunday Globe, North Weekly ,Oct. 17, 1999, p. N1
  • "Honoring a legacy of activism" Salem News, July 14. 2022, p.?