The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1950-03-29
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For (ANP)
Sojourner Truth was another
Negro woman who has yet TO re-
ceive the place OF honor that she
deserves in the annals of this coun-
Try She was one Of our most
spectacular and best loved char
acters.
nliterate as far as book learn
ing went, she was born in slavery
in 1897. A deeply religious woman,
she had q vision that God told her
to go up and down the land and
speak against the evils that were
perpetuated against her people.
She believed that slavery was
wrong in the eyes Of God.
When her lord counseled her to
leave all that she had back in the
land Of Egypt and TO go forth and
preach. that included her name
too. She called herself "sojourner,"
since she was to travel up and down
the land showing the people their
sins and being the sign unto them.
She prayed for a handle to her
name and it was revealed to her
that il should be Truth" for that
was what she was going to preach.
sojourner preached against slavery
as vigorously as she preached
against sin People came from
miles around to hear her She was
also active in the fight for the
rights Of women in her time.
On one occasion. she was speak,
ing in Ohio where she made some
slashing attacks against the slave
holding system. A man approached
her and said, "Old woman. do you
think that your talk about slavery
does any good?" Do you suppose
that people care what you say?
Why I don't care any more for
your talk than do for the bite of
a flea"
Perhaps not. " sojourner replied,
But the Lord willing. I'll sure
keep you scratchingr And that's
exactly what she did.
One night Frederick Douglas in
addressing a meeting in Boston,
expressed a great pessimism on
the whole fight for freedom, So
journer Truth was at the meeting
but had apparently fallen into one
of her deep sleeps due to a head
injury inflicted upon her long ago
by one of her masters.
The audience shared Douglass
mood and were thoroughly con-
WINGED Of the futility of events
when suddenly out of nowhere, it
seemed a voice doomed across the
platform rolling down into the aud
itorium 50 that no one could miss
it, Frederic, is God dead"
The effect was electrical. In
stantly III whole atmosphere In
the hall changed. Instead Of des-
pair. hope filled the hearts of every
one. The most precious anecdote
about sojourner Truth is recorded
in "sojourner Truth. Gods Faithful
Pilgrim" by Arthur Huff .Fauset
of Philadelphia. I heartily recon-
mend this book to all readers.
sojourner was addressing a
meeting in Indiana where the at
mosphere was quite hostile. A
heckler broke into the meeting and
declared that she was an imposter,
indeed that she was man and de-
manded that if she was a woman
that she submit her breasts to the
inspection Of some of the women
to remove the doubt
sojourner ieaped to battle. my
breasts" she shouted. have suck
led many a white babe when they
should have been sucking my own.
Some Of those white men are now
grown men and even though they
have sucked my Negro breasts,
they are in my opinion. far more
manly than any of you appear to
be-" Then she disrobed her bosom
and showed her breasts to the
public gaze" viii show my
breasts to the entire congregation, /"
she shouted, it is not my shame
but yours that do this. Here
then, she cried, See for your
selves"