Sojourner TruthActivist / Orator Died: 26 November 1883
Birthplace: Hurley, New York Best known as: The freed slave and
activist who said "Ain't I a Woman?" Name at birth: Isabella
Baumfree Sojourner Truth began life as a slave and ended it as a
celebrated anti-slavery activist. She was born in New York and
was sold several times before escaping to freedom with an infant
daughter in 1827. She worked as a housekeeper, lived in a
religious commune, and eventually became a travelling speaker
and preacher. Although she could not read or write, Truth was a
captivating speaker: she reportedly stood nearly six feet tall
and was a spirited evangelist who spoke out for women's rights
and against slavery. Prompted by religious feelings, she changed
her name to Sojourner Truth in 1843. Her memoir The Narrative of
Sojourner Truth (as told to author Olive Gilbert) was published
in 1850 and helped establish her in the public mind. The next
year, at a women's rights convention in Akron, Ohio, she gave
her famous speech, "Ai