Photo credits: The U.S. National Archives
The “Sojourner Truth 22” stamp was first issued by the United States Postal Service on February 4, 1986.
Truth was one of the most inspirational and widely known African-Americans of the 19th century. She was born a slave as Isabella Bomefree (also spelled “Baumfree”) in November of 1797 in New York.
She received her freedom in 1828. In the 1830s, she became involved in evangelical movements. In 1843, she changed her name to Sojourner Truth and began traveling and preaching the gospel.
Her autobiography, “The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave” was published in 1850. Her speeches against slavery and women’s suffrage drew large crowds. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln received her at the White House.
From 1864 to 1868, she worked with the National Freedmen’s Relief Association to advise former slaves as they started new lives.
Research source: The National Postal Museum
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