The Remarkable Story of Sojourner Truth, Honored with a Plaza in Akron, Ohio

The Legacy of Sojourner Truth

Born into slavery around 1797, Isabella Baumfree spent her first 30 years picking cotton and bearing children for different masters.

When she escaped in 1826 with her infant daughter, she had no idea she’d become one of America’s most influential civil rights leaders.

Here’s how Isabella transformed into Sojourner Truth and changed history, plus where to find the plaza that bears her name.

First Black Woman to Win a Court Case Against a White Man

In 1828, Truth did something no Black woman had done before. She sued to free her five-year-old son Peter, who had been illegally sold to a slave owner in Alabama.

At that time, enslaved people had almost no legal rights. Truth used New York’s law against selling slaves to other states to fight her case.

She worked with Quaker friends who helped her through the court system. Despite having no education or legal knowledge, Truth won her case.

Historic 1851 Speech at Women’s Rights Convention

Truth walked into the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio on May 29, 1851, without an invitation. Some white speakers had just argued against women’s rights, claiming women were too weak.

Truth stood up and gave a powerful speech challenging both racism and sexism. She spoke about her own strength from years of hard labor and her sharp mind.

Journalist Marius Robinson wrote down her words for the Anti-Slavery Bugle newspaper. The famous phrase “Ain’t I a Woman?” came from a different version published 12 years later by Frances Gage, who added words Truth never said.

Pioneering Intersectional Advocacy

Truth stood at the crossroads of two major movements. White women fighting for voting rights often left out Black women.

Male anti-slavery leaders often ignored women’s issues. Truth refused to separate these struggles. She reminded audiences that Black women faced double hardship.

At an 1867 meeting, Truth said she came “from the country of the slave” and that women had “no voice.” Truth insisted on fighting both race and gender unfairness together.

This approach set the pattern for modern justice movements that address how different types of discrimination overlap and combine.

Civil War Contributions and Freedmen’s Bureau Work

When the Civil War began in 1861, Truth gathered supplies for Black Union soldiers. Her grandson James Caldwell joined the famous 54th Massachusetts Regiment, one of the first official Black units.

In 1864, she moved to Washington D.C. to work with the National Freedman’s Relief Association. This group helped formerly enslaved people who had escaped to Union areas. Truth found housing, jobs and schools for these refugees.

She understood that freedom alone wasn’t enough, and people needed practical help to build new lives after generations of slavery.

Meeting with President Abraham Lincoln

Truth met with President Lincoln at the White House on October 29, 1864. This took persistence, because many officials tried to block her access.

Two women helped arrange the meeting: Lucy Coleman, a white teacher, and Elizabeth Keckley, a formerly enslaved woman who made dresses for Mrs. Lincoln.

Truth waited hours alongside other visitors and noted that Lincoln treated Black and white visitors with equal respect.

During their talk, Lincoln signed Truth’s autograph book. Truth called him “the best President” for his work against slavery. Few African Americans gained such access during the Civil War.

Transportation Desegregation Activism

In 1865, Truth challenged segregated public transportation in Washington D.C. At that time, streetcars were still divided by race even as slavery was ending.

When a conductor tried to stop Truth from boarding a streetcar, she didn’t back down. She filed a complaint against him and won her case, leading to his arrest.

Truth kept riding streetcars throughout her time in Washington, physically breaking down racial barriers. Her transportation protests happened nearly 100 years before the more famous civil rights bus boycotts.

Land Grant Advocacy for Former Slaves

After the Civil War, Truth knew that freedom without resources meant continued hardship for former slaves. She started collecting signatures demanding federal land grants for these new citizens.

Her plan matched the popular idea of “forty acres and a mule,” giving former slaves land to build independence. Truth gathered thousands of signatures and presented them to Congress.

She argued that true freedom required economic support, not just legal rights.

Published Narrative and Self-Promotion

Truth never learned to read or write because laws had forbidden enslaved people from learning. In 1850, she solved this problem by telling her life story to Olive Gilbert, a white friend who wrote it down.

“The Narrative of Sojourner Truth” provided income through sales at her talks. Truth also sold small photograph cards of herself with the phrase “I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance.”

Battle Creek Legacy and Final Years

Truth settled in Harmonia near Battle Creek, Michigan in 1857. This community welcomed both Black and white residents and had progressive values.

When Harmonia disbanded, Truth bought her own home in Battle Creek in 1867. From this base, she continued traveling and speaking while supporting causes like temperance and prison reform.

As her health declined in the late 1870s, she kept speaking against injustice despite growing physical limits. Truth died at home on November 26, 1883. Hundreds attended her funeral before she was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery.

National Commemoration and Recognition

In 2009, Truth became the first African American woman honored with a sculpture in the U.S. Capitol. Artist Artis Lane created the bronze bust showing Truth with her characteristic shawl and determined expression.

New York’s Central Park installed the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument in 2020, featuring Truth alongside Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.

The National Women’s Hall of Fame inducted Truth in 1981. Smithsonian magazine named her among the “100 Most Significant Americans of All Time” in 2014.

Visiting Sojourner Truth Legacy Plaza

You can visit Sojourner Truth Legacy Plaza at 37 North High Street in downtown Akron, Ohio. Free guided tours are available on weekends from 10 AM to 2 PM through the Akron Historical Society.

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