‘The Women Are Coming Up’
March is Women’s History Month. We have so many amazing women to look up to in our modern lives:
• scientist and COVID-19 vaccine researcher Kizzmekia Corbett;
• Vice President Kamala Harris;
• activist and author Malala Yousafzai, and many more.
This week in The Mini Page, we look back at a formerly enslaved person, Sojourner Truth, who helped pave the way for women and Black Americans.
Early years
Sojourner Truth was born into slavery in about 1797 near Albany, New York. Her name was Isabella Baumfree. She and her family spoke Dutch, as did many people in that area.
At about 9 years old, she was sold away from her parents to owners who spoke only English. They beat her when she did not follow their commands, even though she could not understand them.
Walking to freedom
When she was about 30, Isabella took one of her daughters and walked to a nearby farm owned by Quakers, who worked against
Mini Fact:
To raise money, Sojourner Truth sold photos of herself. She always presented herself as a dignified middle-class woman. slavery. The Quaker family paid her owners the remainder of her contract with them.
She moved to New
York City and began preaching in churches. In the mid-1800s, Isabella became convinced that
God wanted her to go out in the country and preach against injustice, telling the truth. She changed her name to Sojourner Truth.
“Sojourner” means traveler.
She spoke out for women’s rights, the rights of freed slaves and prison reform. She opposed slavery, capital punishment, tobacco and drinking.
A speaker in demand
Sojourner Truth became one of the most popular speakers of the time. She spoke powerfully with a sharp sense of humor, and she often moved audiences to tears. She ended up traveling thousands of miles, usually by train, to preach for human rights.