Did You Know?

Sojourner Truth was born into slavery as Isabella Baumfree in Swartekill, New York, 1797 to James & Elizabeth Baumfree. Truth, surviving the atrocities of slavery, escaped to her freedom with her infant daughter in 1826. With her freedom, Truth went on to sue for custody of her son–becoming one of the first black women to sue a white man and win. In 1843 she became a Methodist and officially named herself Sojourner Truth with the conviction that God put her on this earth to preach the hope that lived within her. In 1851, Truth joined George Thompson on lecture tour of the country which brought her to the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. It was at this convention that Sojourner Truth would deliver what is commonly remembered today as her “Ain’t I A Woman?” speech.

Sojourner Truth most likely never said the words “Ain’t I a woman?”

The version of Truth’s speech that most folk are familiar with was published in 1863 with the title “Ain’t I A Woman?” by one of the organizers of the conference; Frances Dana Barker Gage–a notable 12 years after Truth spoke in Akron. The version of the speech published by Gage took on a stilted and stereotypical southern slave vernacular which would have been foreign to Truth. Not only was Truth enslaved in the North, but she spoke only Dutch until the age of 9 and after she learned English, spoke with a heavy low-Dutch accent.

But wait! There’s good news! Reverend Marius Robinson published a version of Truth’s speech a mere month after she gave it in the Anti-Slavery Bugle, Robinson’s newspaper. While most likely not a verbatim transcript of Truth’s words, Robinson published his version with Truth’s blessings.

If you are curious about the different versions of Sojourner Truth’s best known speech, check out The Sojourner Truth Project to learn more.