Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) was an American abolitionist and women’s rights activist. Born into slavery in New York as Isabella Baumfree, she escaped with her daughter to freedom in 1826. Two years later, she successfully sued for her son’s freedom in court—the first Black woman to win such a case. In 1843, she changed her name to Sojourner Truth after hearing the Spirit of God call on her to preach the truth. Truth would preach against slavery, for women’s rights, and would help recruit Black troops for the Union Army. In 1850 she began dictating her autobiography to her friend Olive Gilbert. She died in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1883.
