The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1939-08-19
Revive Campaign For
Soiourner Monument

,.rrtE CREEK-At 2 o'clock
Oh ,hs afternoon OF Nov. rs, 1883 q
on ' procession moved from the
fun ',, nome at 10 College to the
sma, h,ned Congregation and Pres
e sv church at Battle Creek
Dr., p, than 1000 persons were as
MO' s,sd for the services and Bat
81 Creeks most prominent citizens
. y. as pallbearers.
" The person to whom these folks
~ having their final respects In
W. W.. largest funeral Battle Creek
,n ever known was q wizened old
n..ro woman-Sojourner Truth.
eve s.s had never learned to read or
Gu" s,,o her father had been stolen
meet from the jungles OF Africa.
shs had been raised by a Dutch
emily and her English was afro
elous and she had lived her nrst
20 years in slavery.
Intimate Of the Famed
Nm, soiourner Truth became the
,u,,mate OF such leaders as John
crsenleas whittier, Wendell Phil
,,ns Harriet Beecher Stowe.
William Lloyd Garrison, and Fred
nouplass. In a talk once with
.hrsham Lincoln, Sojourner told
,bs president she had never heard
=, him until his nomination.
"Rut I have known OF you for
rssrso the President rejoined.
In Battle Greek today, Negro
women are active in an attempt TO
rsIse q fund of $4,000 to place a
memorial over the grave OF the
courageous leader. They hope to
interest the National Federation OF
rolored Women's clubs in the move
meut and have each member do
nate 10 cents.
Drive Started In 1929
we began the drive for the
monument in 1922 Mrs. James Fl.
Lewis. chairman OF the Battle
Creek committee, explains, "but
because Of the depression. we aban-
doned our efforts after $1,000 had
been pledged. However. we're
hoping now we may have more
success
Publication recently OF new
hook about Sojourner by Arthur
HUFF Fauset has aroused new in
ierest in the story OF the homely.
illierate old slave.
Fauset says she was born about
1877 In Battle Creek you will be
told this date Is wrong as she
claimed TO he ia years old when
she died She was freed under a
New York law in 1927 and first at
tracted attention when she became
probably the first Negro In the
country 10 appeal to the courts for
protection OF her rights. She waged
successful hattie for return OF
a son. one OF her s children. who
was taken from New York to Ala
hama in violation OF New York
laws,
Sets Out with IS Cents
About 1919. Sojourner gave up
work as a domestic and set out
with q cents to become a preacher
and teacher.
The novelty OF Negro on the
platform. combined with q ready
Wit, courage. sincere convictions
and wide though unframed intelli-
gence soon won her national repute
and by 1850 biography OF her had
been published.
Once In the East. Frederick
Douglass. abolitlonist. was address
lng a discouraged meeting and was
rejecting their depression. Sud
denly Soiourner arose and In a
voice heard all over the hall. ask
cd. Frederick, Is God dead?"
The meeting was electrified and
me story repeated all over the land
gave a new impetus to the cause OF
abolition. Today the question. lis
God Dead?' is upon her modest
tombstone.
Again, when a mob in Indiana
accused her OF being a man mas
querading as a woman, she Jared
ner bosom on the platform. In
Washington. she fought a success
ln hattie for the right OF Negroes,
10 ride on street cars.