Sojourner Truth (born Isabella Baumfree in1797) was an African American abolitionist and women rights activist. Truth’s date of birth was not recorded, this was normal for children born into slavery. She was one of as many as 12 children. Thomas Dumont, a slave owner, forces Sojourner to marry another slave named Robert. Although Sojourner was born into slavery, she escaped with her daughter in 1826. She was best known for her speech “Ain’t I a Woman?” She died on November 26, 1883.
Sojourner changed her name on June 1, 1843 giving her life to Methodism. In 1850, Truth spoke at the first National Women’s Rights Convention. The biography under the title The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave was published in 1850. Mrs. Truth
