Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) was an American abolitionist, women's rights activist, orator, and preacher. Born into slavery, she was emancipated by state law in 1827. By 1843, she had transformed herself into the itinerant preacher Sojourner Truth and later dictated her autobiography to her neighbor, Olive Gilbert. Her best known speech, often referred to as "Ain't I a Woman?," was delivered in 1851 at the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio.