Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth was born Isabella Baumfree around 1797 in Swartekill, New York. Her first language was Dutch, as she was enslaved by a Dutch-speaking family. She was sold several times as a child, separated from her parents, and endured harsh treatment from her enslavers. In 1826, she escaped to freedom with her infant daughter, walking to the home of a family who paid her enslaver for her services for the remainder of the year. She became one of the first Black women in America to successfully sue a white man when she went to court to recover her son, who had been illegally sold into slavery in Alabama.

In 1843, Isabella Baumfree changed her name to Sojourner Truth, saying God had called her to travel the land and speak the truth. She became a powerful preacher and abolitionist, traveling across the country delivering speeches against slavery. At nearly six feet tall with a deep, commanding voice, she captivated audiences. Her most famous speech, known as 'Ain't I a Woman?,' was delivered at the 1851 Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. In it, she challenged the idea that women were weak and demanded equal rights for both Black people and women. During the Civil War, she helped recruit Black troops for the Union Army and worked to improve conditions for freed slaves.

After the Civil War, Truth continued advocating for the rights of formerly enslaved people, including pushing for land grants from the federal government. She met with President Abraham Lincoln at the White House in 1864. She remained an active speaker and advocate for justice until her health declined in the late 1870s. Truth died on November 26, 1883, in Battle Creek, Michigan. Her life, from enslaved child who spoke no English to one of America's most powerful orators, stands as one of the most extraordinary stories in American history. In 2009, a bust of Sojourner Truth was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol.