Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) was an African American activist and preacher. She was born into slavery in New York but in 1826, she and her daughter escaped to freedom. A couple years later she would return to successfully recover her remaining child. As a free woman, Truth worked various jobs to support her family. She also converted to Christianity and became a traveling preacher. Through her connections with local abolitionists, she famously spoke at a women's rights convention where she delivered the speech, "Ain't I a Woman?," which declared the need for racial and gender equality.