Sojourner Truth (the name she gave herself after stealing herself to freedom) was born a slave in Hurley NY. In 1826 she walked off her master's farm carrying only her infant child, and commenced her ministry, walking up and down the land to proclaim the gospel of freedom. 1/3
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She became one of the most effective advocates of the abolitionist cause--never losing hope that slavery would end. She joined this with advocacy for the rights of women. "Whar did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with him." She died 11/26/1883
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Last words: "I'm not going to die, honey. I'm going home like a shooting star!." If she never lost hope that slavery would end, we mustn't lose hope that the earth can be spared the consequences of human depredation and greed. 3/3
Two interesting things on her tombstone: you say she was born in 1826 yet here tombstone says “Born a slave...in the 18th century; also the “Is God dead” is enigmatic. Can you shed some light on these?
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S Truth escaped from slavery in 1826. The enigmatic quote is interesting— it was her retort to Frederick Douglas when he seemed despairing that slavery would end. “Is God dead?” she asked him. In other words, her confidence in freedom was based on faith in the living God.
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I live in the area where she was born, and in recent years there has been much more conversation here about her legacy and how we, as a 21st-century American community, best honor and live up to her challenge to our society.
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