Sojourner Truth

c. 1797–1883 · abolitionist & women's-rights orator

Born enslaved as Isabella Baumfree in Ulster County, New York, she escaped to freedom in 1826 and renamed herself Sojourner Truth in 1843. She became one of the 19th century’s most electrifying speakers for abolition and women’s rights, though she never learned to read or write — every word we have of hers reaches us through others’ transcriptions, which is exactly why the wording of her most famous speech is contested.

Traced to source

1 quote we’ve traced

“If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back”

Attributed

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