Sojourner Truth was born in 1797 in Ulster County, a Dutch settlement in upstate New York. Her given name was Isabella Baumfree. She was
one of 13 children born to slave parents. She spoke only Dutch until she was sold from her family around the age of eleven.
Because of the cruel treatment she suffered at the hands of her new master she learned to speak English quickly, but would
continue to speak with a Dutch accent for the rest of her life.
In 1843, Isabella was inspired by a spiritual revelation that would forever change her life. Isabella Baumfree changed
her name to Sojourner Truth and walked through Long Island and Connecticut, preaching "God's truth and plan for salvation."
After months of travel, she arrived in Northampton, MA, and joined the utopian community "The Northampton Association for
Education and Industry, "where she met and worked with abolitionists such as William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass and
Olive Gilbert. She became an impassioned advocate for the causes of both abolition and women's suffrage.
