Sophia Martelly
Sophia Martelly | |
---|---|
![]() Martelly in 2014 | |
First Lady of Haiti | |
In role May 14, 2011 – February 7, 2016 | |
President | Michel Martelly |
Preceded by | Elisabeth Delatour Préval |
Succeeded by | Ginette Michaud Privert |
Personal details | |
Born | Sophia Saint-Rémy (1965-10-09) October 9, 1965 (age 58) New York City, New York, U.S. |
Spouse | Michel Martelly (m. 1987) |
Children | Olivier Sandro Yani Malaika |
Sophia Saint-Rémy Martelly (born October 9, 1965) is a Haitian health activist, politician, and former first lady of Haiti from May 14, 2011, until February 7, 2016. She is the wife of the former president of Haiti, Michel Martelly.[1] She focused on issues related to public health, healthcare and alleviating malnutrition during her tenure as first lady.[2]
Biography
Early life and marriage
Martelly was born by Sophia Saint-Rémy on October 9, 1965, in New York City in the United States.[1][3] Her father, Charles Edouard Saint-Rémy, was from Gonaïves, and her mother, Mona Lisa Florez, is from Port-au-Prince. The Saint-Rémy family is originally from Gonaïves, where Sophia Saint Rémy was raised.[4][5] The Saint-Remys suffered under the dictatorship of François "Papa Doc" Duvalier; her grandmother was arrested and detained by Duvalier and two of her paternal relatives were executed during his dictatorship.[5]
Saint-Rémy and her future husband, the singer and politician Michel Martelly, had been friends when they were children, but had lived separate lives as young adults.[4] He migrated to the United States with his American first wife during the 1980s.[6]
In 1986, Martelly divorced his first wife and returned to Haiti.[6] Saint-Rémy and Martelly, who were childhood friends, reunited in 1987, shortly after he moved back to the country.[4] When they tried to marry, both of their mothers objected based on their skin color: she has lighter skin, while he has a darker complexion.[5] They ignored their parents' protests and, instead, moved together to Miami, Florida, later in 1987. where they married in a small 1987 wedding ceremony. He worked in construction, while she worked as a word processor. They returned to Haiti in 1988[5] and had four children, Olivier, Alexandre, Yani and Michel.[4]
Their early marriage was different from Martelly's onstage "Sweet Mickey" persona. He imposed a curfew on her and forbade her to chew gum as recently as the late-1990s. She is four years younger than her husband.[5]
The couple lived in a condominium in Miami Beach, Florida, during the mid-1990s.[5]
References
- ^ a b Charles, Jacqueline (April 23, 2015). "First Lady Sophia Martelly Joins Candidates for Haitian Parliament". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on November 22, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- Charles, Jacqueline (May 12, 2015). "Haiti First Lady Sophia Martelly reviewing options after candidacy rejected". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on January 13, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- Charles, Jacqueline (February 6, 2016). "More showman than statesman, Haiti's Martelly exits power". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- Presutti, Carolyn (November 8, 2011). "Haiti's First Lady Champions Social Causes". Voice of America. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- Britell, Alexander (August 13, 2012). "Interview with Haiti First Lady Sophia Martelly". Caribbean Journal. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2019.