Sojourner Truth (c. 1797 –1883), born Isabella Baumfree, was an American abolitionist and women's rights activist. Truth was born into slavery in Swartekill, New York, but escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826. After going to court to recover her son in 1828, she became the first black woman to win such a case against a white man. She was a powerhouse preacher who readily shared whatever God laid on her heart with listeners from all walks of life.