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Women's History Month: Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth

1797-1883

Sojourner Truth

Born into slavery in New York as Isabella Baumfree, Sojourner Truth was an outspoken advocate for abolition, women’s rights, and civil rights. In 1927 Truth ran away with her youngest child Sophia to an abolitionist family who bought her freedom for $20. 

 

She moved to New York City, underwent a religious conversion, and began her life as Soujourner Truth. During the twenty-five years that followed, Sojourner Truth traveled thousands of miles, lecturing in twenty-one states and in the District of Columbia She was an eloquent, charismatic speaker. Her most famous speech “Ain’t I a woman” was delivered at the Akron Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in 1851. Though there is some controversy about her original words.

 

Truth never learned to read or write, but her narrative was first written down in 1850 by Olive Gilbert, You can hear readings of her speeches at the Sojourner Truth Project website The speeches are read by Afro-Dutch women in their contemporary dialect. This is to give us a closer idea of what Truth sounded like, as her first language was a Dutch dialect.

 

Resources

McLeod, Jennifer. “Sojourner Truth.” Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, 2020. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=ers&AN=88807455&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=ath2

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