author
Sojourner Truth
1797–1883
Born into slavery in New York, she remade herself into one of the 19th century’s most powerful voices for freedom, faith, and women’s rights. Her speeches and life story still stand out for their courage, plainspoken force, and deep moral conviction.
1 Audiobook
The Narrative of Sojourner Truth
by Olive Gilbert, Sojourner Truth
About the author
Born Isabella Baumfree around 1797 in Ulster County, New York, Sojourner Truth spent her early life enslaved and grew up speaking Dutch as her first language. She escaped to freedom in 1826 with her infant daughter, and soon after won a court case to recover her young son — a remarkable victory for a Black woman in that era.
In 1843, after a religious calling, she took the name Sojourner Truth and began traveling as a preacher and reformer. She became widely known as an abolitionist and advocate for women’s rights, speaking across the country with a direct, memorable style that came from lived experience rather than formal schooling.
Truth is especially remembered for her appearance at the 1851 women’s rights convention in Akron, Ohio, where she delivered the speech later known as "Ain’t I a Woman?" During and after the Civil War, she continued pressing for freedom, dignity, and opportunity for formerly enslaved people. She died in Battle Creek, Michigan, on November 26, 1883, leaving a legacy that reaches far beyond her own century.