Sojourner Truth and the ass

Sojourner Truth. Photo: Library of Congress.

In 1826, Isabella Baumfree—or Bell, as she was called—escaped from slavery with her daughter in her arms.

Bell fought to gain rights to her enslaved son in a court of law. She became the first Black woman in America to win a case like hers.

Later, Bell was asked why she kept her enslaved name. So she changed it.

Now we know her as Sojourner Truth.

An American Spiritualist, Sojourner went on preaching circuits where abolitionist pastors, religious brothers and sisters, pitched revival-style tents or rented large halls, got up on a dais, and railed against the evils of enslavement.

Sojourner was an accomplished speaker with her Dutch accent (her enslavers were Dutch)—despite being illiterate. More amazingly, she could quote the Bible down to the chapter and verse!

At one particular revival-style meeting, a cleric and proponent of slavery declared to the crowd that he heard nothing of value in the hall.

He insisted that the meeting was just “a lot of noise” from “women and jackasses.”

According to folklorist Aaron Mahnke in his podcast Unobscured, Season 2, Episode 7:

“Sojourner rose to her feet and reminded the man of a biblical story. In it, a prophet was riding a donkey along the road.

“When the donkey suddenly stopped without warning, the prophet beat the animal. But that's because the man was blind to what had really happened, the presence of an angel that was blocking the way.”

Sojourner made this climactic point, as noted by historian Dr. Margaret Washington:

“So I just want to remind the man and the audience that it was the ass and not the minister who saw the angel.”

You can imagine how the audience of abolitionists responded.

Dr. Washington is considered the foremost historian on the Black experience in 19th century America. Read her book, Soujourner Truth’s America, University of Illinois Press, 2009.

She is interviewed in the wonderful podcast series I mentioned, Unobscured, Season 2—about Spiritualism and Spiritualists, like Sojourner Truth.

You can find Aaron Mahnke and the Unobscured podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or Spotify. And if you happen upon Aaron in person, tell him Gerry sent you.