Children, who made your skin white? Was it not God? Who made mine black? Was it not the same God? Am I to blame, therefore, because my skin is black? …. Does not God love colored children as well as white children? And did not the same Savior die to save the one as well as the other? –Sojourner Truth
I chuckled to myself when I realized the reason for today’s Google Doodle. Initially, I wondered why Sojourner Truth. Did the google gods discover today is her birthday? Then, it occurred to me today is the first day of Black History Month (BHM).
Why the chuckle? Because it’s predictable.
Sojourner Truth–like Martin Luther King, Jr., Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman–is almost always brought up when discussing anything related to Black history.
Do I mind? Not really.
I like Sojourner Truth. I like her moxie. I love how she stood up for herself when the odds were most certainly against her. There are a lot of amazing lessons in her life.
Today, I opened class by talking briefly with my first-year students about not allowing themselves to be so focused on the mountain in the distance that they render themselves incapable of taking the tiny day-to-day steps that make conquering the mountain achievable.
I wish I’d thought to weave some of Sojourner Truth’s life into that brief talk.
Sojourner Truth didn’t look at the mountains in front of her and freeze with fear or run in the opposite direction. She didn’t see the obstacles of her skin color, her gender, or her status as enslaved person as barriers to conquering the insurmountable. As a result, among many other “unlikely” accomplishments, she won a lawsuit against her former “owner” who sold her son into slavery after the State of New York had declared slavery illegal. And while we haven’t quite figured out whether Sojourner Truth said “Ain’t I a woman?” or “Ar’n’t I a woman?” in her famous speech at the 1851 Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, the reality is even if she never said a single word, the fact that she showed up to a party she wasn’t invited to and insisted on her Black presence and humanity says enough for me.
She literally walked the path to freedom in her own truth and with a righteous insistence on her own humanness. As long as she held on to the essential value of her personhood, no racial or gender mountain could stand in the way of her truth.
The art above is part of the “Celebrating Women” banners that were on display at The Lower Eastside Girls Club’s Celebrate Cafe in New York City when I visited several years ago. If I remember correctly, each piece of art added to the banner was created by a young woman who was involved in the Club.
If you want to know more about Sojourner Truth, click any of the links above, particularly the Google link.
Pics and Posts 
Great post. I would love to be in your class, bet the students are learning a lot.
What an awesome woman with bravery.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Christine!!!
LikeLike
I never knew there was any question about what the actual quote was, but either way I’d take my hat off to her if I had one close at hand. She was one amazing woman. Glad you wrote about her.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Ellen! Yes, there’s a lot of evidence that suggest Gage “fudged” a little on the retelling…I agree–she was an amazing woman!
LikeLiked by 1 person
She was. I passed up a chance to write a kids’ book about her because I wasn’t in love with the way they wanted it done. I’ve regretted it ever since.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s not too late. You can do it now…your way!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I knew you’d react to this doodle. What else should Google have done to fully please you?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I LOVE the doodle. In fact, I didn’t actually focus on the doodle itself. The art is amazing (plus, I read the artist’s interview about the doodle). As for your question–Google doesn’t have to “fully please” me. I just find the predictability amusing.
LikeLike
Well, it was her birthday, wasn’t it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
No. We don’t know the date of her birth. I think it was the “Black History Month” intro doodle.
LikeLike
Somebody famous had to be.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sojourner Truth’s life is inspirational! How does a woman with so little status and education, get so smart, brave, and bold!?
LikeLiked by 1 person
The grace of God! Sojourner Truth is pretty amazing though!
LikeLike
I like what you told your students. Wish we could hear more about people like Sojourner Truth! They could teach us so much…Thank you for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Laurie! I think there are Sojourner Truth’s among us. We have to be willing to hear their stories.
LikeLiked by 1 person