[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9511]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 9511]]

                            SOJOURNER TRUTH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM SAWYER

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 24, 2001

  Mr. SAWYER. Mr. Speaker, on May 29, we will celebrate the legacy of 
the famed abolitionist and feminist, Sojourner Truth. She was born 
Isabella Baumfree, as a slave. She escaped slavery and adopted the name 
Sojourner Truth when she began preaching across the nation.
  It was in Akron, Ohio, at the Second Annual Women of Ohio Convention 
on May 29, 1851, that she delivered her powerful ``Ain't I a Woman?'' 
speech. It is appropriate to honor her work and her legacy on the 150th 
anniversary of that remarkable speech. It is especially appropriate to 
do so in the city where she delivered it.
  A friend of mine, the late Faye H. Dambrot, a leading advocate of 
rights for women, equality, and justice, wrote a testimonial to 
Sojourner Truth and her famous speech, which I am honored to submit for 
the Record.
  Born the slave Isabella Baumfree in 1797 in Ulster County, New York, 
this articulate woman with her commanding voice and imposing stature 
began her career by preaching and lecturing against slavery after the 
New York emancipation laws of 1827 were passed. Deeply religious and 
mystical, she chose the name Sojourner Truth to reflect her commitment 
to travel widely and spread the truth to her audiences. During her 
extensive journeys through the North and Midwest, she spoke of having 
been beaten, raped, and forcibly separated from her children and other 
loved ones under slavery.
  In addition to her ministry and ardent abolitionism, Sojourner soon 
embraced the cause of women's rights, knowing well the double yoke of 
racism and sexism which bound black women. She worked to raise money 
for the North during the Civil War, helped emancipated blacks find jobs 
and housing in Washington, D.C., and even struggled against segregation 
by her insistence on riding public street cars.
  She supported herself through the sale of her autobiography, My 
Narrative, and counted Abraham Lincoln, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony 
and Frederick Douglass among her friends. Sojourner Truth continued her 
life of struggle and agitation until ill health forced her retirement. 
She died near Battle Creek, Michigan on November 26, 1883.
  Sojourner was not a welcome speaker at Akron's Women of Ohio 
Convention, many women present feared the cause of abolitionism would 
be detrimentally linked to the suffrage struggle and urged the 
chairwoman, Frances Gage, to prevent her addressing the crowd. The 
assembled local clergymen were swaying those present with their 
declarations about the natural superiority of man, Eve's ``original 
sin,'' the manhood of Christ, and the deference and privilege owed to 
women which was being jeopardized by demands for equal rights. But 
Sojourner was not dissuaded as she solemnly strode forward, laid her 
old bonnet at her feet, and within moments had, with her eloquence, 
turned the adverse tide of the meeting to a victory for women's rights.
  She intoned, ``Well children, where there is so much racket there 
must be something out of kilter . . . But what's all this here talking 
about?
  ``That man over there say that women needs to be helped into 
carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place 
everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, 
or gives me any best place!''
  She drew herself up to her full height, and with a voice like rolling 
thunder continued. ``And ain't I a women? Look at me! Look at my arm! . 
. . I have ploughed, and planted and gathered into barns, and no man 
could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as 
much as a man--when I could get it--and bear the lash as well! And 
ain't I a woman? I have borne 13 children, and seen them most all sold 
off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but 
Jesus hear me! And ain't I a woman . . .?
  ``That little man in black there, he say women can't have as much 
rights as men, because Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ 
come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.
  ``If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the 
world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to 
turn it back, and get it right side up again! . . .''
  Frances Gage tells her recollection of the crowd's reaction. She 
says, ``Amid roars of applause, she returned to her corner, leaving 
more than one of us with streaming eyes, and hearts beating with 
gratitude. She had taken us up in her strong arms and carried us safely 
over the slough of difficulty, turning the whole tide in our favor. I 
have never in my life seen anything like the magical influence that 
subdued the mobbish spirit of the day, and turned the sneers and jeers 
of an excited crowd into notes of respect and admiration. Hundreds 
rushed up to shake hands with her, and bid her Godspeed on her mission 
of testifying again concerning the wickedness of this here people.''
  Mr. Speaker, in standing up for her beliefs, Sojourner Truth became a 
role model for all Americans, not just women or people of color. 
Sojourner Truth was the living embodiment of the basic American tenet 
that each and every individual has intrinsic worth.
  As historian David McCullough reminds us, history didn't have to 
happen the way it did. History is created by the actions of far-sighted 
men and women like Sojourner Truth.

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