Sarah Parker Remond

 

This is a photo of Sarah Parker Remond

Good evening, friends and neighbors.

This is an illustration of Sarah Parker Remond

My name is Sarah Parker Remond, and I come before you not only as an abolitionist, but as a woman who has witnessed the cruelty of prejudice and the injustice of slavery throughout my life. I was born a free Black woman in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1826. Yet although I was free, I learned at a young age that freedom means little when society denies people their rights because of the color of their skin. My family and I faced discrimination in schools and in public places, despite being law-abiding citizens and committed members of our community.

As a young woman, I became active in the anti-slavery movement. I spoke publicly against slavery when many believed women, especially Black women, should remain silent. My family devoted itself to the cause of abolition, and I joined organizations dedicated to ending this great moral evil.

I ask you tonight: by what principle can slavery be defended? Can any person claim that human beings are property? Can any Christian nation justify separating husbands from wives, parents from children, and denying men and women the fruits of their own labor? Slavery robs people not only of liberty but also of dignity, education, opportunity, and hope.

The Boston Theater that Remond was removed from in 1853

Some say slavery is necessary for prosperity. I say no prosperity built upon stolen labor can be honorable. Others say it is sanctioned by tradition. I say that a wrong does not become right simply because it has existed for a long time. The true measure of a society is whether it recognizes the humanity of all people.

In 1853, I was forcibly removed from a Boston theater because I refused to sit in segregated seating. I brought my case before the courts and won. That experience taught me that injustice must be challenged wherever it appears. 

A report on one of Remond's Lecture

I have traveled and lectured in America and abroad, urging people to support the abolition of slavery. Everywhere I go, I find men and women of conscience who understand that freedom is not a privilege reserved for a few but a right granted to all humanity.

Therefore, I call upon each of you to reject slavery without compromise. Let us stand for justice over convenience, principle over prejudice, and liberty over oppression. Let future generations say that when confronted with a great moral wrong, we did not remain silent. We spoke, we acted, and we helped bring freedom to those who had been denied it for far too long.

Thank you.

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