May 31, 20214 min read

Sojourner Truth: The Champion of Human Rights

After studying history for many years, it came to my attention how white-washed the abolitionist narrative has become within the public sphere. I decided to research further into the abolitionist movement in America and eventually came across an inspiring woman. I was shocked that I had never heard of her before or even been taught about her before in my twenty years of education. That woman is known as Sojourner Truth.

Sojourner Truth (original name: Isabella Baumfree) was born in 1797. Her exact birthdate is still unknown due to the fact that birth records were not kept for enslaved people. This means that there are no documents for historians to trace back to Truth’s exact birthdate. Her parents, Elizabeth and James Baumfree were also enslaved and were her slave parents in Ulster County, New York. For me, Sojourner Truth remains an inspirational woman today.

This is because although she was born into bondage and oppression when she was liberated, she emerged as one of the most radical leaders of her era.

Truth traveled to the United States battling for the abolition of slavery and women’s suffrage.

At around age nine, Truth was sold for $100 with a flock of sheep at an auction to a slave owner named John Neely. In Truth’s memoirs, Neely was described as cruel and violent and she explained how Neely would beat her daily. In 1808, Neely sold Truth for $105 to a tavern keeper. She was then sold 18 months later in 1810 to John Dumont where she spent the majority of her adolescence. It was not rare for slave owners to be sexually abusive to their female slaves and Dumont was no exception who was sexually abusive to Truth. This led to Truth living a very unpleasant life when enslaved to Dumont as she endured constant sexual abuse which then created tensions between Truth and Dumont’s wife, Elizabeth Dumont. At around the age of 18, Truth fell in love with a slave named Robert who was on a nearby farm, however, due to having separate owners, they were forbidden to marry due to the fact that any children they had would not belong to one singular slave owner but two (Robert’s owner and Dumont). Truth was then forced to marry another slave owned by Dumont who was named Thomas. She then went to have five children with him: Diana, James, Peter, Elizabeth, and Sophia.

At the turn of the 19th century, New York started legislating emancipation for enslaved people. Dumont promised Truth that he would grant her freedom on July 4, 1826, a year before New York’s anti-slavery law would take effect if “she would do well and be faithful.” When the date arrived, however, Dumont changed his mind claiming that a hand injury had made her less productive. Truth escaped slavery with her infant daughter Sophia to the Van Wagners, a nearby abolitionist family.

Although Truth had to leave her other children behind, Truth showed bravery and courage as she escaped the violence and oppression that she received off Dumont.

The Van Wagners brought Truth’s freedom for $20 when Dumont came to claim his “property” back. In 1843, she declared that the spirit called upon her to preach the truth and so she renamed herself Sojourner Truth.

After the New York anti-slavery law was passed, Truth found out that her son Peter had been illegally sold by Dumont and that he was being abused by his new slave owners. Truth took this issue to court and in 1828, after months of legal proceedings, she managed to get her son rightfully returned to her. In taking this issue to court, Truth became one of the first women of color to go to court against a white man and win. The fact that Truth was successful whilst against so many odds is what makes this court case so admirable.

Truth continued to campaign against slavery and traveled all over the Eastern part of the Earth to make her voice heard. Garrison’s anti-slavery organization encouraged Truth to give speeches about the evils of slavery as she worked with people from across the country to abolish slavery. She soon became fascinated with the idea that people could work together to fulfill the goals of the Declaration of Independence - the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans. In 1857, Truth moved to Battle Creek, Michigan, and helped enslaved people escape to freedom on the Underground Railroad.

Truth’s reputation grew in abolition circles and in 1850, she was invited to speak at the first Women’s National Rights Convention of Massachusetts.

Later, Truth attended Ohio’s Women’s Rights Convention where she gave her most famous speech on women’s rights called “Ain’t I a Woman?”

In the speech, Truth spoke about equal rights for women of color. She used the rhetorical question “Ain’t I a Woman?” to point out the discrimination she experienced as a black woman. Truth sought political equality for all women and reprimanded the abolitionist community for failing to seek civil rights for black women as well as men. She voiced her concern saying that it was possible that the movement would dissolve after the movement achieved freedom for black men, leaving both white and black women without suffrage and other key political rights. These views show us what an important figure Truth was and still is within both the civil rights and the feminist movements.

During the Civil War, Truth helped to recruit black soldiers and rallied people to donate food, clothes, and other supplies to black refugees. When the Civil War ended, she tried to find jobs for freed blacks who were weighed down by poverty.

Truth continued to campaign for abolition and women’s rights until her death in 1883. In 2009, a statue was unveiled at the US capitol, commemorating her legacy. After facing years of oppression, it is evident that Truth was one of the most courageous and determined women in history. She devoted her life to what she believed in and advocated for basic human rights for all. Truth still remains an essential figure in civil rights and feminist movements today.