My namesake, Sojourner Truth, was a US abolitionist and a women’s rights activist who reclaimed her freedom after slavery and dedicated her life to improving the quality of life for her people and all women. But what many people don’t know about Sojourner is her devotion to God. God changed the direction of her journey, just as God led me to mine.
Though born a slave and given the name Isabella Baumfree, Sojourner did not let her circumstances kill her faith. She persisted and escaped to freedom. She began working as a free woman and attended worship services at a church. There she befriended religious abolitionists and became closer to God. She wandered the rest of her days, preaching the abolition of slavery and advocating for the full rights of women.
If Sojourner Truth could stand up against racism, sexism and classism that tried to break down her soul and deny her full humanity, then surely, I can follow in her footsteps and continue the work of helping to eradicate those same “isms” in her name…in my name.
This message is excerpted from “Sojourner” by Sojourner White in the March 2018 Gather magazine. Today is the Fourth Sunday in Lent. Today we commemorate Harriet Tubman, 1913 and Sojourner Truth, 1883; renewers of society.
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