This building, located in the former Rue du Commerce, was the site of the “Émancipation féminine” lodge to which Claude Carbet (1893-1968) belonged, a Freemason who marked the birth of feminism in Martinique.
Born Olympe Tricot, Claude Carbet caused a scandal when she began a 27-year relationship with Marie-Magdeleine Carbet (1902-1996), born Louise Eugénie Anna Marie-Magdeleine. Both women adopted the surname Carbet, an identification with their Martinican identity.
On March 1, 1931, Claude Carbet gave a public lecture on “Female emancipation and human rights”, during which she denounced all forms of inequality, defended homosexuals, women’s right to control their own bodies and demanded the right to vote.