Sojourner Truth never learned to read or write, but her incredible power to communicate complicates our understanding of what it means to be literate.

    ⏱ 335 words, 1.5 minutes 

    Who was Sojourner Truth? 

    • A Black woman activist from upstate New York who spoke, preached, and advocated for causes inspired by her religious beliefs. 

    • Originally born Isabella Bomfree and enslaved at birth in 1797, she freed herself in 1827 and renamed herself Sojourner Truth after experiencing a religious awakening in 1843. 

    What did she believe? 

    • Truth spoke often and persuasively in favor of abolishing slavery, promoting greater rights for women, and limiting the sale of alcoholic beverages. 

    • Arguably her most famous speech, called “Ain’t I A Woman?” spoke to the particular experience of Black women in the United States facing intersecting prejudices against their race and gender. 

    Why teach about her? 

    • Sojourner Truth was a key figure in 19th-century social movements, and her life helps us understand the Abolition movement, the Women’s Suffrage movement, and the Temperance movement.

    • Truth’s identity as a formerly-enslaved Black woman complicates historical narratives that place educated white women at the center of social movements in the 1800s. 

    To what extent was Sojourner Truth “literate”? 

    • Truth never learned to read or write in the traditional sense, but she had a powerful ability to communicate ideas and to “read” people.

    • Despite her lack of formal education, Truth was an incredibly successful speaker and author (via dictation). 

    • In addition to the spoken word, Truth communicated powerfully through images, including calling cards (“cartes-de-visite”) that she sold with her photograph on them. 

    How should I teach about Sojourner Truth? 

      6 - 8    9 - 12    Social Studies/History    Literacy    Freedom    Equality    Black History  

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