Sojourner Truth 
The Narrative of Sojourner Truth 

One of the most important slave narratives of all time, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth tells the story of an African American woman who struggled against the bondages of slavery in the mid-1800s. With the strength of her spirituality, she overcame obstacles to become a leading abolitionist and champion of women’s rights. Published originally in 1850 and later updated, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth was dictated by Sojourner Truth to her neighbor, Olive Gilbert.

About the author

Sojourner Truth (1797–1883) was an American abolitionist, women’s rights activist, orator, and preacher. Born into slavery, she was emancipated by state law in 1827. By 1843, she had transformed herself into the itinerant preacher Sojourner Truth and later dictated her autobiography to her neighbor, Olive Gilbert. Her best known speech, often referred to as “Ain’t I a Woman?, ” was delivered in 1851 at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio.