She crossed the Atlantic in a winter storm. She was pushed down a staircase for sitting where she chose. She was denied a visa, expelled from schools she'd passed the entrance exams to enter, and told — by an entire nation — that her skin made her less than human.

And then she stood before 2,000 people in Edinburgh, Scotland, and made them listen.

Meet Sarah Parker Remond (1826–1894), an abolitionist, transatlantic activist, suffragist, and physician. Born free in Salem, Massachusetts, she delivered her first anti-slavery speech at 16, sued a Boston theatre for segregation and won in 1853 — decades before Rosa Parks and went on to become one of the most powerful Black female orators of the 19th century. Then she crossed an ocean and became even more.

In this episode of Women and Resistance, hosts Aya Fubara Eneli Esq. and Adesoji Iginla take a deep, Afrocentric dive into a life that most history books forgot to mention — tracing Sarah's journey from the abolitionist households of Salem, to the packed lecture halls of Manchester and Edinburgh, to the medical schools of Florence, Italy, where she earned her physician's degree at age 42 and practiced medicine for over 20 years.

Takeaways

*How the Remond family built a dynasty of Black excellence, entrepreneurship, and resistance across generations
*Why Sarah's decision to publicly name the sexual exploitation of enslaved Black women was one of the most radical acts of her era
*What it means that a Black American woman had to cross an ocean to feel received as a full human being — and what that still echoes today
*The connection between her 19th-century supply chain arguments to British cotton workers and modern corporate accountability movements
*Why she — and her sisters — chose permanent exile in Italy over return to the country they had devoted their lives to liberating

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Women in Resistance Podcast
01:25 The Legacy of Sarah Redmond
02:07 Aya Fubara's Background and Influences
05:04 The Fight for Freedom and Education
08:17 Experiences of Discrimination and Resilience
12:59 Activism and the Anti-Slavery Movement
16:37 Lecturing Across Borders
19:33 Challenging Prejudice and Speaking Truth
21:23 The Intersection of Race and Gender Issues
22:25 The Plight of Enslaved Women
23:02 Advocacy and Education in Britain
24:52 Geopolitics and the Civil War
27:00 Post-Civil War Advocacy
28:37 Life in Europe and Medical Practice
29:32 Reflections on Slavery and Society
35:47 Continuing the Fight for Freedom

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Welcome to Women and Resistance, a powerful podcast where we honour the courage, resilience, and revolutionary spirit of women across the globe. Hosted by Aya Fubara Eneli Esq and Adesoji Iginla...

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That’s it for this episode of Women and Resistance. Thank you for joining us in amplifying the voices of women who challenge injustice and change the course of history. Be sure to subscribe, share, and continue the conversation. Together We Honour the past, act in the present, and shape the future. Until next time, stay inspired and stay in resistance!