Sojourner Truth (1820-1883), born into slavery in New York, escaped just before the state abolished slavery. Becoming a preacher-prophet, she adopted the name "Sojourner Truth" and began touring America denouncing slavery and championing equal rights for blacks and women before religious, abolitionist and women's organizations.

Truth visited President Abraham Lincoln at the White House in 1864, then remained in Washington to help runaway slaves. Her last years were spent urging Congress to allocate land and money for freed blacks in the West.