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          Sarah Parker Remond  1826-1894

         See photo 20:

         Sarah Parker Remond was a Salem African American whose grandfather fought in the American Revolution.

         Sarah's father was a free black who arrived from the island of Curacao when he was ten years old. The Remonds settled in Salem and

         proceeded to build a successful catering and hairdressing business. While they were successful and prosperous free citizens, they still

         encountered discrimination. In 1835, when Sarah and her sister passed the entry exam for Salem High School, the school committee forced them

         to leave the school. Her father John campaigned to desegregate the the Salem schools. In 1841 he succeeded, and the family returned to Salem.

         It probably helped that in the 1840s Salem was a center of the abolitionist movement, despite the policies of the school committee. Sarah and

         her brother Charles joined a team of lecturers, which included Susan B. Anthony,  in 1856 to tour New York State speaking about anti-slavery issues.