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Sojourner Truth in Her Own Words

Born a slave, Isabella Bomfree (or Baumfree) gained her freedom with the help of an abolitionist family. She later took the name Sojourner Truth and became a public speaker, itinerant preacher and advocate for abolition, temperance, and civil and women’s rights in the nineteenth century. I first learned about Sojourner Truth in school. Then as a your adult I became interested in her for her role in the Suffrage Movement. Her “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech especially moved me.

I have decided to let Sojourner Truth speak in her own words. What follows are several quotes attributed to her, beginning with her explanation for her change of name. For more information on Sojourner Truth please see the links below.

Now Sojourner Truth in her own words:

“The Lord gave me ‘Sojourner,’ because I was to travel up an’ down the land, showin’ the people their sins an’ bein’ a sign unto them. Afterwards, I told the Lord I wanted another name ’cause everybody else had two names, and the Lord gave me ‘Truth,’ because I was to declare the truth to people.” — Sojourner Truth
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/sojourner_truth_802921

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“Life is a hard battle anyway. If we laugh and sing a little as we fight the good fight of freedom, it makes it all go easier. I will not allow my life’s light to be determined by the darkness around me.”
— Sojourner Truth

“I am above eighty years old … I suppose I am about the only colored woman that goes about to speak for the rights of the colored women. I want to keep the thing stirring, now that the ice is cracked.”
— Sojourner Truth

“Where there is so much racket, there must be something out of kilter”
— Sojourner Truth

For More Information:

http://www.sojournertruth.org/

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sojourner-truth

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sojourner_Truth

Just U.S. History

“Won’t it be wonderful when black history and native American history and Jewish history and all of U.S. history is taught from one book. Just U.S. history.” —Maya Angelou
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/black_history

Believe in Yourself

“You have to believe in yourself when no one else does — that makes you a winner right there.”
– Venus Williams, Olympic gold medalist in tennis

The Secret to Lasting Love

Okay, so that got your attention. Everyone wants to find a love that will last, right? Well the truth is there really is no secret, just the reality that you have to work at it.

Bob and I have been married for 26 years now. Not really such a big deal when you consider our ages. We both had other relationships, including marriages that did not turn out the way we would have wished. But apparently today 26 years is a long time for a relationship to last.

Like any marriage ours has had its ups and downs, good times and bad, joys and sorrows. It has definitely been a learning experience and at times an endurance test. The words of the marriage vows are easy to say if you have never experienced the worse, sickness and poorer side. When those things happen, and they will, you learn what those promises you made really mean.

There are a few things we do that I think contribute to the health of our relationship.

We say “I love you.” At least once every day.
We thank each other. Bob still thanks me for driving him into town and cooking dinner.
We are a team and we are at our best when we are working together.
We hold hands. Aww that’s so cute — I know. We get that all the time. We have always held hands, but now with Bob’s vision problems, it is an even greater reminder to us of our dedication to each other as I help him navigate the world — literally.
We enjoy each others company and we talk to each other — a lot. What do we talk about? Everything. Serious stuff, funny stuff, deep intellectual stuff, mundane daily life stuff, spiritual stuff, current events — you name it we talk about it.
When hard times come and they do we always end up saying “we’ll get through this” and we always do.
And finally our faith and conviction that we were brought together for a reason helps keep us together.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

What are some of the ways you work at building a love that will last?

The Price of Hating

“The price of hating other human beings is loving oneself less.”
– Eldridge Cleaver, American writer, political activist, early leader of the Black Panther Party

We Must Still Dare to Hope

“In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe.”

– Michael Jackson, American Singer, Songwriter and Dancer

We are the Change

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
– Barack Obama, First African American U.S. President

Knowing Where we Have Been

“For Africa to me… is more than a glamorous fact. It is a historical truth. No man can know where he is going unless he knows exactly where he has been and exactly how he arrived at his present place.”

– Dr. Maya Angelou, author and poet

The Power of Dreams

“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.”
– Wilma Rudolph, U.S. track and field athlete