Sophie Redmond

Who is Sophie Redmond?

Jeane Sophie Everdine Redmond was born in Paramaribo in 1907, the daughter of a Moravian Church teacher who initially discouraged her ambition to study medicine, doubting that a Black woman could complete the training. She enrolled at the colony's Geneeskundige School (Medical School) against early resistance from its principal and graduated in 1935 after ten years of study, becoming the school's fifth female graduate and its first Black woman doctor. She opened a practice in Paramaribo where she treated needy patients free of charge, earning the affectionate nickname "datra fu potisma," the doctor of the poor. Beyond medicine, Redmond became a prominent public health educator, hosting a popular Sranan Tongo-language radio program on AVROS called "Datra, mi wan' aksi wan sani" ("Doctor, I want to ask something"), through which she answered listeners' health questions directly in the language most Surinamers spoke at home. She was also active in advocating for women's welfare in Suriname. She died in Paramaribo in 1955 at the age of 48. A street in Paramaribo and a square in Amsterdam-Zuidoost both bear her name today.

Sources: Wikipedia, "Sophie Redmond" · Huygens Institute, Biografisch Woordenboek Nederland, "Redmond, Jeane Sophie Everdine (1907-1955)" · Atria, "Sophie Redmond - biografie"