Issues in social welfare policy paper- sojourner truth
1. Rebecca Rothstein
Prof. Levin
Issues in Social Welfare Policy
Paper 1
10/9/04
Sojourner Truth: An abolitionist, feminist,
and a woman of great strength
2. “Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered
into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much
and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't
I a woman?” –Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth, born Isabel Baumfree, was an ex-slave and a well known
abolitionist. Those who are familiar with her work would agree she embodies the
definition of a hero. The textbook used for this class, doesn’t even mention the heroicism
of this woman whose dedication to the cause of freedom and women’s rights was
inspirational. Truth endured many hardships as a slave, including rape and assault, yet her
faith never wavered. Her strong religious convictions carried her through the tough times
she faced and gave her strength to pursue the causes she fought for. Sojourner Truth is an
example for both female and male activists looking for a role model and an example of
leadership, strength, and courage.
Truth was born in Ulster County, NY in 1789 and died in Michigan in 1883.
Sojourner was one of thirteen children and was born to slave parents. She was sold into
slavery and separated from her parents at the age of eleven. At this point, she only spoke
Dutch and learned English so that she could defend herself from the cruelties of her
masters. Truth met her husband Thomas on the farm of John Dumont, her third master.
She had five children with Thomas and eagerly awaited the emancipation promised by
Dumont. After Dumont went back on his promise to her, Truth ran away with her son and
left her husband and four daughters.
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3. Two years after Sojourner left the Dumont farm, her son Peter was sold illegally
to a man who lived in Alabama. In 1835, Truth fought for her son’s freedom and, with
the help of a lawyer, became the first black woman to take a white man to court and win.
Many discouraged Isabella from taking action, because they believed it was a lost cause.
Truth, however, was not only a staunch advocator for freed slaves, women, and people of
color, but she also advocated for herself.
Isabella went on to live in New York City and work for various religious
communities. After leaving one of the communes because of its involvement in criminal
activities, Isabella had a revelation. The divine inspiration she felt led her to change her
name from Isabella Baumfree to Sojourner Truth. Sojourner, which means “to dwell
temporarily,” was connected to her feelings about people’s status in life. Her last name,
Truth, referred to her mission to spread truth. Sojourner traveled for months relaying her
message, which she believed came directly from G-d. While spreading the word of G-d,
she aided newly freed slaves and those escaping from persecution. She also spoke at
many antislavery lectures and, in addition, met with Union troops. During the Civil War,
she counseled the black troops and gave them encouragement. Truth also worked with
other noted abolitionists, she met in Northampton, MA, from William Lloyd Garrison to
Frederick Douglas. They worked tirelessly to find jobs for newly freed slaves and did
whatever they could to help address their needs. She went to Washington D.C. and met
with Abraham Lincoln to discuss emancipation issues.
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4. According to the website Africana.com, “From 1864-1868, Truth worked tirelessly with
the private National Freedmen’s Relief Association and the federal Freedmen’s Bureau,
assisting freed slaves.” Truth was clearly a remarkable woman whose commitment to
social justice and reform was something to be admired.
In the 1870s, Truth became active in the American Woman Suffrage Association.
She felt that abolition of slavery and women’s issues went hand and hand. In a website
called the glass ceiling biographies, (glassceiling.com), it expresses Truth’s
dissatisfaction with the fact that women could be leaders in the abolitionist movement yet
they couldn’t vote or hold any kind of public office. The article on the website states
“Realizing she was discriminated against on two fronts” and that propelled her activism
in the Women’s Rights movement. She lectured about these issues as well as salvation in
Washington D.C., Massachusetts, and other areas of the United States. She believed that
this was G-d’s will for her and she never let up until her health forced her to settle down.
Sojourner is most famous for her speech “Ain’t I a Woman?” given in 1851 which
was recorded by Marius Robinson. The famous speech was given at a woman’s rights
convention in Akron, Ohio. She was angered that the women that were being spoken of
were white women. The minister at the convention had just spoken about how women
needed to have “the best place everywhere” and yet Truth exclaimed “Nobody ever helps
me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a
woman?” When Truth spoke, it was based on her past experience as a slave and her hard
fought emancipation. She brought those experiences of discrimination and torture as both
a slave and a woman. She talked about how she had been enslaved and what it meant to
be a mother who had to watch her children being sold to white masters.
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5. Her emphasis was that she was woman who had to endure the same hardships as the
other women plus she had to deal with being a black woman. Truth wanted a voice and
felt that if there was any place that she deserved to be heard it was at a women’s suffrage
meeting.
According to some, Truth’s contributions of her day were only parallel those of
Harriet Beecher Stowe. Her efforts on behalf of women as well as people of color were
acts of courage considering the times she lived in. Though she was hissed at and insulted
by men and others who were against the things she stood for, she never desisted. Truth
was a woman who defied the odds of her time and went on to be a powerful voice for
marginalized groups. She was a social reformer and her faith in G-d made her the woman
that she was. Her speeches are inspiring and her activism is an example of the proactive
approach that should be taken by social workers and other professional reformers.
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