Sojourner Truth was born into slavery on a farm in New York state in 1797. At birth, she was known as Isabella Baumfree. She had many owners who treated her cruelly. Because she was 6 feet tall and strong, she was given jobs normally done by men. In 1827, she escaped from slavery and went to New York City.
When she was 46, she decided her life's mission was to travel around the country spreading the truth about rights for women and African Americans. She changed her name to Sojourner Truth. Sojourner means "visitor."
Truth was the only African American to attend a women's rights convention held in Ohio in 1851. There, she gave a famous speech pointing out that women are equal to men. "I could work as much and eat as much as a man. And ain't I a woman?" said Truth.
Sojourner Truth never went to school, but her simple, honest words made her a powerful communicator. "I cannot read a book," she once admitted, "but I can read the people."