IN Focus: Sojourner Truth (c. 1797 – November 26, 1883)
Sojourner Truth was a towering voice for abolition, women’s rights, and spiritual conviction in 19th-century America. Born into slavery in New York in 1797, she escaped with her infant daughter and became one of the most recognizable and powerful orators of her time.
Unlike many reformers of her era, Truth could not read or write, but she spoke with fire, wit, and moral clarity. Her speech “Ain’t I a Woman?” delivered in 1851 at the Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio, cut through racism and sexism with a single refrain—and it still echoes today.
Truth spent decades traveling the country, challenging white supremacy and patriarchy from pulpits, protest stages, and presidential meeting rooms. She demanded land reparations for freedpeople, exposed the hypocrisy of the church and state, and redefined what it meant to be a woman, a believer, and a Black American.
Honor the Legacy. Wear the Story. Grab the "Sojourner Truth is INerasable" t-shirt from our Legacy Collection—honor history and celebrate resilience.
INerasable: Sojourner Truth's Legacy
She spoke before the world was ready to listen—and made them hear her anyway. Sojourner Truth is INerasable because she dismantled the idea that freedom was ever just for some.
She was the living intersection of abolition, feminism, and faith—a woman who understood that justice must be total or it is not justice at all. Even now, efforts to erase the contributions of Black women in early American history are ongoing. But Sojourner's truth, like her name, traveled. It refuses to be silenced.
She is INerasable because she is foundational—one of the original disruptors who carved a path for every freedom fighter who came after.
Art IN Context: Afrofuturism and Prophetic Legacy
Sojourner Truth is rendered in Afrofuturism—a visionary style that reimagines the Black past, present, and future through the lens of power, dignity, and boundless possibility.
In this portrait, Truth’s image is ethereal and divine—part ancestor, part oracle. Metallic tones suggest armor, while cosmic backdrops signal timelessness. The use of Afrofuturist symbolism places her not just in history, but beyond it—as someone whose ideas and identity transcend the limits of her era.
This artistic choice reframes Truth not only as a historical figure, but as a prophetic presence. She didn’t just fight for freedom—she imagined new worlds. She believed liberation was possible, not only for the enslaved but for the soul of a nation.
Sojourner Truth was never just part of the past. She is, forever, IN the future. IN resistance. INerasable.
IN Depth: Resources to Learn More
Books & Articles
- Narrative of Sojourner Truth – Sojourner Truth & Olive Gilbert (Her firsthand account as a former slave turned powerful abolitionist and women’s rights advocate.) ➔ https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1674
- National Women's History Museum – Sojourner Truth (Comprehensive overview of Truth’s activism and legacy.) ➔ https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sojourner-truth
Archives
- Sojourner Truth A Resource Guide – Library of Congress (Digitized materials including speeches, letters, and photographs.) ➔ https://guides.loc.gov/sojourner-truth
Multimedia
- Ain’t I a Woman? – Sojourner Truth Performance (YouTube video performances of her iconic 1851 speech performed by Kerry Washington.) ➔ https://youtu.be/Ry_i8w2rdQY?si=42s85rHRUR4xB9Ko
- C-SPAN Classroom – Sojourner Truth Biographical Video ➔ https://www.c-span.org/classroom/document/?17244
Exploring Art Styles (Afrofuturism)
- What is Afrofuturism – Smithsonian Magazine (Explores how Afrofuturism reimagines Black futures rooted in culture and liberation.) ➔ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/what-is-afrofuturism-180982154/
- Afrofuturism – Wikipedia (Introductory resource on themes and visual aesthetics of the movement.) ➔ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrofuturism
- Afrofuturism Explained – Vox (Video essay analyzing the cultural power of Afrofuturist art and media.) ➔ https://youtu.be/jlPwTMMhGGI?si=O7L3rjyoqFpJLLiR
IN Voice. IN Vision. INerasable.
