“I feel safe even in the midst of my enemies; for the truth is powerful and will prevail.” —Sojourner Truth
Have you ever met someone who just seemed to naturally carry herself with confidence? Someone who knows her confidence comes from the God who carries her? One woman from history who lived this way was Sojourner Truth. Born into slavery around 1797, Sojourner Truth never learned to read or write, but she knew the Bible and the God of the Bible and in His strength lived courageously her whole life.
Seeds of Faith
Sojourner Truth was born in New York state. Her parents named her Isabella, and she had ten or eleven siblings; most were sold before she could remember them. Her mother taught her and her younger brother about God, and these seeds of faith would carry Isabella through all her days.
At nine years old, Isabella was sold for the first of three times. She was mistreated in two of the three homes, but her faith in God sustained her.
Freedom
In 1817, New York declared that any enslaved person born before 1799 would be emancipated on July 4, 1827. A few years before this was enforced, John Dumont promised Isabella that if she worked hard, he would free her a year early. But in 1826 Isabella injured her hand, so when the time came for Dumont to keep his word, he refused, claiming her injury had cost him. Isabella, determined to be free anyway, rose before dawn one morning and walked to freedom. She found refuge with a Quaker couple, and when Dumont came after her, they bought Isabella’s freedom.
A few months later, Isabella learned that her only son, Peter, had been sold to Dumont’s family in Alabama. This was an illegal transaction, and in Alabama Peter would have no hope of freedom. When the family gave her no sympathy, she enlisted the help of some Quaker friends, local lawyers, and the local grand jury. She sued the family to regain custody of her son—and she became the first Black woman to take someone to court and win!
From Isabella to Sojourner
After Isabella was freed, she found work in New York City, but she felt that the city was as evil as Sodom. On June 1, 1843, she left the wickedness of the city behind her and traveled to Long Island to lecture, changing her name to Sojourner Truth. When Sojourner left the city, one of her friends asked her why she wanted to go east. Sojourner simply replied, “The Spirit calls me there, and I must go.” Her goal was to courageously share her testimony, urging people to trust Jesus and turn from sin.
At one camp meeting, a group of rowdy young men came to stir up trouble. Sojourner hid at first, but she felt convicted to stand bravely under God’s protection. She left her hiding place, gathered the young men around her, and sang until the men were settled and left.
Famous Friends
In the course of her travels, Sojourner Truth became involved in the abolition, temperance, and women’s suffrage movements. She gained friends like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Susan B. Anthony, among many others. She even had audiences with Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. Sojourner carried a notebook, her “Book of Life,” in which many famous friends signed and wrote her uplifting notes.
War and post-war
During the Civil War, Sojourner encouraged young Black men to enlist in the army and fight for the freedom of their Southern brothers and sisters. After the war, she traveled to Washington, DC, and the conditions of the formerly enslaved people there inspired her to advocate for a better life for these people. She worked with the Freedmen’s Bureau, and she proposed a measure to give freed Black people land out west so they could build lives and communities of their own. Unfortunately, in spite of her efforts, the measure was never brought before Congress, but Sojourner continued on her path undaunted.
After walking a long distance in DC one day, Sojourner sought to board a street car that she had a legal right to ride. Multiple conductors pretended not to see her. Finally, she was so frustrated that she yelled, “I want to ride! I want to ride!! I WANT TO RIDE!!!” This caught the attention of the passing crowd and the people came to her aid, effectively blocking the street enough for Sojourner to hop aboard the car and claim her right to a ride.
Courageous Faith
Sojourner Truth lived a life of hardship mixed with victory. By God’s guidance, and with the courage He gave her, her life was extraordinary. When Sojourner Truth died, over a thousand people gathered to pay their respects. God used someone the world would have overlooked to fight for equality, and her legacy lasts to this day.
“Let others say what they will of the efficacy of prayer, I believe in it, and I shall pray. Thank God! Yes, I shall always pray.” —Sojourner Truth
You can read more about Sojourner Truth in the narrative of her life.
