Sojourner Truth

he·ro
noun
1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities

A hero is brave, trust-worthy, and selfless. A hero is a person that humbles himself before others so that he may preform noble acts of righteousness and justice. A hero is a person that will fight for what is right no matter the costs. A hero will stand alone if it means that he is standing on the right side. A hero is willing to make a sacrifice of himself if it is for the common good. A hero is compassionate, bold, and courageous. There are many types of people that fit this description. A few examples include police officers, firemen, doctors, and soldiers. They are all heroes. However, the type of person my hero is, is an activist. This woman was a perfect example of a fighting and selfless hero. Her name was Isabella Baumfree, but she is better known as Sojourner Truth.

so·journ
noun
1. a temporary stay
truth 
noun
1. the true or actual state of a matter

Sojourner Truth was born Isabella Baumfree in 1797. She grew up in slavery until she finally escaped in 1826. She then gave herself the name "Sojourner Truth." She was a very strong activist in the fight for women's rights and for civil rights. She often applied her religious beliefs into her preaching and speeches. She would travel often so that she could preach and debate at meetings, churches, and even on village streets. Her most famous speech was her "Ain"t I a Woman?" speech given in 1851 at the Ohio Women's Rights Convention. Part of her famous speech reads:

"That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud puddles, or gives me any best place, and ain't I a woman? ... I have plowed, and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me -- and ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man (when I could get it), and bear the lash as well -- and ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children and seen most all sold off to slavery and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me -- and ain't I woman?"

She was very determined and believed in every word her lips spoke with all her heart. Sojourner once said, "If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again." Sojourner Truth retired to her home in Battle Creek, Missouri in 1875. She died there in 1883. She, undoubtedly, led an effective and heroic life. I believe that her actions contributed to equal rights in so many ways, that if she had not been an activist, I believe we would not have equal rights today. She was one of the strongest women that America has ever seen. Sojourner Truth was a woman of distinguished courage and ability. She was and still is admired for her brave deeds and noble qualities. Therefore, not only does she fit this world's definition of a hero, but she fits and outshines mine.