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Welcome to Strictly Facts, a guide to Caribbean history and culture hosted by me, alexandria Miller. Strictly Facts teaches the history, politics and activism of the Caribbean and connects these themes to contemporary music and popular culture. Strictly Facts family how are you doing? Strictly Facts family how are you doing?

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It is a beautiful month of March, also known as Women's History Month, and so, as we are transitioning from Black History Month into Women's History Month, what better way to do so than a story of a Black Caribbean woman who you might not have otherwise ever heard before? And so, before jumping in to really highlighting the history of this extraordinary woman, I will ask you first, off the bat do you know the story of the Caribbean woman who, while pregnant, helped lead a massive revolution in 1870? Martinique, who, it is stated, yelled I would burn my own mother and even God, if necessary, end quote in her fight for Black liberation? If not, I'll definitely be sharing more about her today. That woman is none other than Lumina Sophie, also known as Marie Philomen Ruptus or, as she was commonly known, as surprise. She embodied courage, resistance and strength amidst what some of historians describe as a moment in Martiniquan history that could have really easily been glossed over or overlooked for it not the unity of Black Martiniquans. Though her name might not be as famous as others, her contributions to Black liberation in Martinique make her a remarkable figure in the fight for freedom and justice. Lamina Sophie was born on November 5, 1848, less than six months after slavery was abolished in the island. She came from a line of fellow extraordinary women, like her maternal grandmother, renée Sophie, who ensured her children had at least a basic education, as well as her own mother, zulma, who did her very best to remain self-sufficient as a seamstress and farmer, even amongst economic challenges post-emancipation economic challenges post-emancipation.

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Lumina Sofi's defining role in Caribbean history was sparked when, on February 19, 1870, there was an altercation between a white Navy employee, aubier de Montanon, and a Black male bricklayer, leopold Lupin. The two men had very different accounts of what transpired, the former claiming that Lupin was the aggressor by standing in the middle of the road and forcing Mentenon's horse into the bush, while Lupin and several others who were there and were witnesses to the event claimed quite the opposite, that, in fact, lupin didn't move out of Mentenon's way swiftly enough and Mentenon returned his aggression by whipping Lupin. Lupin sought recourse from the government, but his complaint was ultimately declined, thus leading him to seek justice two months later in his own hands and I mean that quite literally. Mentenon, because of the beating he received, filed a complaint against Lupin, which resulted in a fine and five years jail time for Lupin. The situation and obvious racial undertones sparked immediate support of Lupin by Black Martinicans. Women helped raise funds to pay the fine, and Lupin supporters took to the streets in protest, especially after his appeal was denied on August 19th that same year. Supporters quickly turned to revolutionaries, lupina, sofie included, as thousands joined to burn plantations, destroy harvesting tools and more. It was the collective effort of countless formerly enslaved people and their descendants who were fed up with the brutality and inequality of the plantation system and who were determined to fight for their liberty.

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By this time, sophie was 21 years old, a seamstress and two months pregnant. That didn't stop her, and likely fueled her drive as a member of the Petrolou, or what was called at the time women revolutionaries, who not only supported the insurrection but also built arms and torches and joined rightfully so right in with the revolution, attacking plantation owners and burning down cane fields. Sophie was one of the leading women insurgents, and it is said that she led the destruction of three of the 25 plantations that were ultimately destroyed. This revolution lasted throughout the final months of 1870 until colonial troops were sent in to suppress the revolution by late January the following year. By March, trials began to charge rebel leaders for their actions, with Sophie as one of the 114 people charged and, ultimately, one of the only 14 women who were convicted.

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Although historical records are sparse when it comes to specific details about Lumina Sophie's individual actions, it's widely accepted that she was a key figure in the planning and execution of the uprising. In addition, she was very vocal about her disgust for the racist colonial system, as court testimony describes her as a quote rebel who supposedly publicly said things like, and I quote here again we must burn everything, nothing can be spared. If God had a shack on earth then I would burn it as well, because he must himself be an old white man. End quote. With all of the testimony against her, she was sentenced to life in prison in French Guiana, while being described by the governor of Martinique as, and I quote, the fiercest, most fearsome of the hooligan gang leaders, end quote. And he eventually passed away before even turning a year old, at roughly age 29,. Sophie was forced to marry a former prisoner, which was a common practice at the time for female convicts that was forced upon them. She passed away two years later, in 1879.

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As we always do here at Strictly Facts, there have been some tremendous ways Sophie's name has lived on, and we will, you know, of course, bring that to light through our Strictly Facts sound segment. And so for me, that is, you know, knowing that there is a high school, a local high school, named after her. There was a 2005 play written by fellow Martiniquan, suzanne Drasius, which won the Medal of Honor, as well as a biography, lumina Sophie Called Surprise, written by Gilbert Pago in 2008. Although Lumina Sophie may not be a household name, in the same way other revolutionaries certainly are, she left an indelible mark on the history of Martinique. Her story is a powerful reminder that women have always been at the heart of liberation movements, whether through direct action, leadership or support.

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As we celebrate Women's History Month, we must acknowledge the trailblazers like Sophie, whose work tirelessly for rights of Black people, broke rules, not only by taking up arms and leading a rebellion, but by defying what some thought of as traditional gender roles, even while pregnant. She didn't just live through history, she helped make it and for that she should not be forgotten. Through history, she helped make it and for that she should not be forgotten. Her story is one that should be told and retold, not just during Women's History Month, but year-round, because it reminds us that the fight for freedom is a collective one, one that has always involved both men and women working side-by-side to break down the chains of oppression. As we reflect on the incredible contributions of Lumina Sophie, we see a powerful legacy of the myriad of women who fought and continue to fight for equality in the region and diaspora. She is a symbol of resistance, of strength, as we said, and of the unyielding spirit of Caribbean unruliness that I so love and you know. In many ways is symbolic of other women, like Nanny of the Maroons in Jamaica and Nanny Griggs in Barbados, who were similar bastions of freedom. During Women's History Month, let's not forget the unsung heroines of history like Lamina Sophie, who fought for their own liberation and for the liberation of generations to come.

Speaker 1: 9:18

Thank you for joining us today for another episode of Strictly Facts, a guide to Caribbean history and culture. If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to share it with your friends and family. Follow us and leave a review Until next time. We hope you remember that well-behaved women rarely make history. Be unruly. Defy the odds and tell us on social media how you're making changes in your community today. Till next time, little more. Thanks for tuning in to Strictly Facts. Visit strictlyfactspodcastcom for more information from each episode. Visit strictlyfactspodcastcom for more information from each episode. Follow us at strictlyfactspod on Instagram and Facebook and at strictlyfactspd on Twitter.