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The Intercollegiate Department of Black Studies
The Claremont Colleges
"I'm Sojourner Truth, I fought for the rights of women as well as Negroes, " 1946-47. Linocut. by Elizabeth Catlett. Reproduced with permission of the artist.
Sojourner Truth, originally named Isabella, was born in 1797, the daughter of Elizabeth (Mau-Mau Bett) and James Baumfree, enslaved Africans on a Dutch-speaking family's farm in Ulster County, New York. Like most enslaved Africans, Sojourner experienced early in her life the horrors of separation from family, the violence of the slave owner's whip, and all the vicissitudes of bondage. She was sold several times to successive slaveholders until she reached adulthood. Sojourner Truth was married to an enslaved man named Thomas with whom she had five children.
In her lifetime, Sojourner commanded respect because she insisted on asserting her basic human rights. The Narrative of Sojourner Truth is replete with examples of her resolve and courage. In 1826, after the plantation owner broke his promise to free her, Sojourner took her destiny into her own hands. Although slavery was still legal in New York state, she rose early one morning and "walked to freedom," taking her youngest child with her. A profound sense of justice always moved Sojourner, who was not afraid to challenge established power.
In 1843, Sojourner Truth began her long career as an activist and a traveling preacher speaking the "truth." Her oratorical gift was unique in her use of biblical parables, images and quotations to comment on political and social issues. In her speeches and sermons, she fought relentlessly for the abolition of slavery and women's rights. After the Civil War, Sojourner tried to persuade the government to repay former enslaved Africans with free land in the West. From 1856 until her death in 1883, Sojourner Truth lived in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Sojoumer Truth was an eloquent and compelling speaker who profoundly moved those who heard her. She said of herself, "I cannot read a book, but I can read the people." Her indomitable spirit, her courage, and her love of freedom have been an inspiration to African Americans, to women, and to all who value freedom. She is one of the most remarkable women in American history.
The Lectureship, established in 1983, honors the achievements and contributions of outstanding African American women in the U.S.A. Conceived and administered by faculty in the department, the lectureship is sponsored by all six Claremont Colleges: Claremont Graduate University and Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, Pomona, and Scripps Colleges.
October 30, 2000, 8:00 p.m.
Mary Pickford Auditorium, Claremont McKenna College
Past Sojourner Truth Lecturers:
1999-00: Octavia Butler, novelist
2000-01. Agnes Moreland Jackson, educator
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