Sojourner Truth Statue, Battle Creek, MI
Posted by: 
S5280ft
N 42° 18.975 W 085° 10.792
16T E 649992 N 4686494
Quick Description: Located at the north corner of Monument Park at Main Street and Division Street (M-66). Parking available.
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 4/30/2007 7:55:34 PM
Waymark Code: WM1G0G
Views: 133
Long Description:From the plaque at the memorial:
Sojourner Truth was born as the slave Isabella in New York State
about 1797. As a child she spoke only low Dutch and, like most
slaves, she never learned to read or write. While she was in
bondage, she married Thomas, a fellow slave, and had five children.
She was sold to four new owners before walking away to freedom in
1826.
Isabella then settled in New York City until 1843, when she
changed her name to Sojourner Truth. Relying on her deep religious
faith, she was determined to travel the land as a itinerant
preacher, speaking the truth and fighting against injustice. She
became a prominent figure in several national social reform
movements, working for the abolition of slavery, women’s rights,
temperance, prison reform and the rights of former slaves.
Sojourner first came to Battle Creek in 1856 to speak to the
Quaker Friends of Human Progress. She moved to the area a year
later and lived here for the last twenty-six years of her life. She
died on November 26, 1883, and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery.
Sojourner Truth was perhaps the most famous African American
woman in 19th century America. For over forty years she was a
passionate advocate for the dispossessed, using her quick wit and
fearless tongue to fight for human rights. May her legacy live
on.