On November 26, 1883, Sojourner Truth, one of the most fearless women to ever walk this earth, died in Battle Creek, Michigan. Hers wasn’t your run-of-the-mill, seen-it-all, fainting-couch kind of life. This was the life of a woman who basically looked at America and said, “Hey, this system is broken, and I’m not gonna’ be quiet about how I fix it.” As the saying goes “Well behaved women seldom make history,” and Sojourner definitely made history!
Born into slavery around 1797 as Isabella Baumfree, she endured horrors most of us can’t even fathom. Think The Handmaid’s Tale, but worse. She was sold multiple times before she turned 10. She worked relentlessly, had her children taken from her, and was treated like property. Then, in 1826, she did something incredible: she walked away. Not “was freed.” Not “negotiated her release.” She walked away—like the ultimate mic drop of personal liberation. One year before New York officially abolished slavery, she freed herself and her infant daughter. Because why wait around for justice when you can take matters into your own hands?
And that was just the prologue. The story of Sojourner Truth is like every season of Succession rolled into one: betrayal, power struggles, and, yes, epic speeches. But this wasn’t some spoiled billionaire family squabbling over stock options—this was the fight for freedom, dignity, and equality.
The Artist Formerly Known as Isabella Baumfree
Let’s talk about branding. In 1843, Isabella Baumfree rebranded herself as Sojourner Truth. Why? Because “Isabella Baumfree” doesn’t exactly scream “unstoppable force of justice,” and she wasn’t about to let anyone forget her mission. She believed God called her to travel the land and preach the truth. And unlike most people who claim to speak for God, she actually had something useful to say.
She became a preacher, an abolitionist, a suffragist, and, frankly, a professional thorn in the side of every racist, misogynist, and hypocrite she encountered. She gave speeches that didn’t just move people—they shoved them off their complacent butts.
Take her 1851 speech at the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Ain’t I a Woman?”—and if you haven’t, please pause this and Google it immediately. In that speech, Sojourner Truth dismantled the absurdity of sexism and racism in one fell swoop. She basically said, “Oh, I’ve worked harder than any man you’ve ever met, raised kids, plowed fields, and survived slavery, but you’re telling me I’m too fragile to vote? Interesting.”
Not Just a Talker—A Doer
Let’s not pretend Sojourner was just about the speeches, though. This woman did the work. During the Civil War, she recruited Black soldiers for the Union Army, because she knew the fight for freedom wasn’t just about laws—it was about action. After the war, she didn’t sit back and say, “My work here is done.” No, she kept fighting for land grants for freed Black Americans, because she understood that real freedom isn’t just about walking off the plantation—it’s about having the resources to build a future.
And let’s not skip over this gem: Sojourner Truth was the first Black woman to sue a white man in court—and win. Her son, Peter, had been illegally sold into slavery in Alabama, and Sojourner marched into a courtroom filled with white men who likely didn’t think she should be allowed to breathe the same air as them, and she won. That’s not just history—that’s an HBO miniseries waiting to happen.
The Legacy We’re Supposed to Care About (And Actually Should)
Here’s the thing about Sojourner Truth: she didn’t just fight for herself. She fought for a set of values that were radical in her time but feel like common sense today: equality, justice, and the idea that maybe we shouldn’t treat people like garbage based on their race or gender. Shocking, right?
Her legacy helped lay the groundwork for the abolition of slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, and women’s suffrage. The 19th Amendment? The Civil Rights Act? They didn’t come out of nowhere. They came from people like Sojourner Truth, who said, “Hey, maybe this whole ‘inequality’ thing isn’t working out so well.”
But here’s the bad news: America has this fun little habit of forgetting the people who fought for justice the second their work is done. Sojourner’s values—the ones we like to trot out on national holidays and motivational posters—are under attack again.
Enter MAGA: The Unwelcome Reboot of In-Your-Face Racism
Today, in November 2024, we’re living in a time when overt racism is making a comeback like it’s auditioning for a revival tour. MAGA Republicans are back in power, bringing with them book bans, voter suppression, and policies that seem specifically designed to roll back every ounce of progress we’ve made since the Civil War. It’s like they looked at the history of racism and said, “You know what? Let’s try that again, but with Twitter.”
This is where Sojourner Truth’s story stops being history and starts being a call to action. Because here’s the thing: Sojourner didn’t just complain about injustice. She did something about it. She marched, she sued, she spoke up. And if she could do all that in the 19th century, when the world was actively conspiring to silence her, what’s our excuse today?
The Truth We Can’t Ignore
Sojourner Truth’s life wasn’t just extraordinary—it was instructional. She showed us what it looks like to stand up for what’s right, even when the odds are stacked against you. She reminded us that progress is possible, but only if we fight for it.
In her honor, let’s not just remember her. Let’s channel her. Let’s fight like she did, with courage, conviction, and maybe a little righteous fury. Because if we don’t, the values she fought for—equality, justice, freedom—might become relics of the past. And if there’s one thing Sojourner Truth would never tolerate, it’s letting injustice win.
