In early 1828, Sojourner Truth approached the Grand Jury of Kingston, New York. She had no experience with the legal system, no money, and no power in the eyes of the court. Ignoring the jury’s scorn, Truth said she was there to fight for custody of her five-year-old son Peter, who’d been illegally sold to an enslaver in Alabama. As the trial played out over the next several months, Truth raised funds, strategized with lawyers, and held her faith. Finally in the spring of 1828, Peter was returned to her care— but Truth’s work was far from over. She would dedicate the rest of her life to pursuing justice and spiritual understanding.
1828-yil boshida Sojorner Trut Kingston (Nyu-York) okrugi Bosh sudiga murojaat qiladi. U sud tizimida hech qanday tajribaga ega emas edi, sud qarshisida uning na puli va na kuchi bor edi. Hakamlar hay'atining bepisandligiga e'tibor bermay, Trut Alabamadagi quldorga noqonuniy ravishda sotilgan besh yoshli o'g'li Pitrni qaytarish uchun kurashgani kelganini aytadi. Bir necha oy davom etgan sud jarayoni chog'ida Trut mablag' to'playdi, advokatlar bilan maslahatlashadi va o'z e'tiqodiga sodiq qoladi. Nihoyat, 1828-yil bahorida, Pitr onasi bag'riga qaytadi, ammo Trutning faoliyati bu bilan tugamaydi. U umrining qolgan qismini adolat o'rnatish va ma'naviy qarashlarini shakllantirishga bag'ishlaydi.
Truth was born into slavery as Isabella Baumfree in the late 18th century in Ulster County, New York. Although New York state had announced the abolition of slavery in 1799, the emancipation act was gradual. Those who were currently enslaved were forced to serve a period of indentured servitude until their mid-20s.
Trut 18-asr oxirida Nyu-Yorkning Ulster okrugida Izabella Baumfri nomi bilan qullikda dunyoga keladi. Garchi Nyu-York shtati 1799-yil qullikni bekor qilish to'g'risida e'lon qilgan bo'lsa-da, emansipatsiya akti sekin amalga oshiriladi. Ayni paytda qullikka olinganlar 20 yosh o'rtalarigacha doimiy xizmat muddatini o'tashga majbur bo'lishadi.
Throughout this period, enslavers repeatedly sold Baumfree, tearing her from her loved ones. Often, she was explicitly prevented from pursuing new relationships. Eventually, she married an enslaved man named Thomas, with whom she had three children. She was desperate to keep her new family together— but the slow progress of abolition threatened this hope. Baumfree’s enslaver, John Dumont, had promised to free her by 1826. When he failed to keep his word, Baumfree fled for her safety. During the escape, she was only able to rescue her youngest daughter Sophia, while her other children remained in bondage. It would be two years before she regained custody of Peter. After that, she would wait another two years before she saw any of her other children.
Bu davr mobaynida quldorlar Baumfrini yaqinlaridan ayirib, bir necha bor sotib yuborishadi. Ko'pincha uning oila qurishiga to'sqinlik qilishadi. Vanihoyat, Tomas ismli qulga turmushga chiqib, 3 farzandni dunyoga keltiradi. U yangi oilasini jipslikda saqlashni istaydi, ammo qullikni bekor qilish jarayoni sekinlash- gani umidini puchga chiqaradi. Baumfrining xo'jayini Jon Dyumont 1826-yil ga qadar uni ozod qilishni va'da beradi. So'zining ustidan chiqmagach, Baumfri qochib ketadi. O'zi bilan faqat kenja qizi Sofiyani qutqarishga muvaffaq bo'ladi, qolgan bolalari esa qullikda qoladi. 2 yildan so'ng Pitrni ozod qilishga erishadi. Boshqa farzandlarini ko'rish uchun yana 2 yil kutishiga to'g'ri keladi.
During this time, Baumfree found solace in her faith and became increasingly dedicated to religious reflection. After settling in Kingston, New York, she joined a Methodist community that shared her political views. She continued her practice of speaking aloud to God in private, and one night, her evening prayers took on even more sacred significance. Baumfree claimed to hear the voice of God, telling her to leave Kingston, and share her holy message with others. Though she never learned to read or write, Baumfree became known as an electrifying orator, whose speeches drew on Biblical references, spiritual ideals, and her experience of slavery. Her sermons denounced the oppression of African Americans and women in general, and became prominent in campaigns for both abolition and women’s rights. In 1843, she renamed herself Sojourner Truth and embarked on a legendary speaking tour.
Bu vaqt ichida Baumfrining e'tiqodi unga taskin beradi va diniy qarashlari yanada mustahkamlanadi. Kingstonga (Nyu-York) ko'chib kelgach, siyosiy qarashlari o'xshash bo'lgan Metodistlar jamoasiga qo'shiladi. U yolg'izlikda ovoz chiqarib Xudoga murojaat qilishda davom etadi. Kunlardan bir kun uning kechki ibodatlari yanada muhim ahamiyat kasb eta boshlaydi. Baumfri Xudoning ovozini eshitganini, u Kingstonni tark etib, o'zining muqaddas xabarini boshqalar bilan bo'lishishni buyurganini aytadi. O'qish va yozishni bilmasligiga qaramay, Baumfri ruhlantiruvchi voiz sifatida taniladi. Uning nutqlari Bibliyadagi fikrlar, ma'naviy ideallari va qullik tajribasiga asoslanadi. Va'zlari afro-amerikaliklar va umuman ayollarga nisbatan zulmni qoralaydi, qullikni bekor qilish va ayollar huquqlari uchun kurashda ommalashadi. 1843-yil u ismini Sojorner Trut deb o'zgartiradi va o'zining afsonaviy notiqlik safarini boshlaydi.
Truth saw her journey as a mission from God. Her faith often led her to the nation’s most hostile regions, where she spoke to bigoted audiences as the only Black woman in the crowd. Truth was confident God would protect her, but some crowds responded to her bravery with violence. During one of her sermons, a mob of white men threatened to set fire to the tent where she was speaking. In her memoir, Truth recalled steeling herself to confront them: “Have I not faith enough to go out and quell that mob… I felt as if I had three hearts! And that they were so large, my body could hardly hold them!” She placated the men with song and prayer, until they had no desire to harm her.
Trut sayohatini Xudoning topshirig'i sifatida ko'radi. E'tiqodi uni ko'p bor mamlakatni eng tahlikali hududlariga yetaklaydi. Olomon orasidagi yagona qora tanli ayol o’z tinglovchilariga murojaat qiladi. Trut Xudo uni himoya qilishiga amin edi, ammo ayrimlar uning jasoratiga zo'ravonlik bilan javob qaytaradi. Va'zlarining birida bir guruh oq tanli kishilar u nutq so'zla- yotgan chodirni yoqib yubormoqchi bo'ladi. Trut ular bilan to'qnashuvni shunday xotirlaydi: "Olomonga qarshi chiqib, uni bostirishga yetarlicha ishonmaganimda... O'zimni go'yo bir emas uchta yuragim bordek his etardim! Ular shu qadar katta ediki, tanam ularni bazo'r ushlab turardi! ”. Kishilar o'z fikridan qaytmaguncha Trut ularga qo'shiq va ibodat aytib tinchlantiradi.
Truth’s speeches impacted thousands of people in communities across the nation, but her activism went far beyond public speaking. During the Civil War, she became involved with the Union Army, recruiting soldiers and organizing supplies for Black troops. Her work was so well regarded that she was invited to meet President Lincoln. She took the occasion to argue that all formerly enslaved people should be granted land by the government.
Trut nutqlari butun mamlakat bo'ylab minglab insonlarga ta'sir ko'rsatadi, ammo uning faoliyati ommaviy chiqishlar bilan chegaralanib qolmaydi. Fuqarolik urushi paytida u Ittifoq armiyasiga qo'shilib, askarlarni yollash va qora tanlilar qo'shiniga ta'minot tashkil etish bilan shug'ullanadi. Uning mehnati e'tirof etilib, Prezident Linkoln bilan uchrashuvga taklif qilinadi. Fursatdan foydalanib, u ilgari qul bo'lgan kishilarga hukumat tomonidan yer berilishi kerakligini aytadi.
Truth continued to travel and speak well into her 80s. Until her death in 1883, she remained an outspoken critic who fought for her right to be heard in a hostile world. As Truth once said, “I feel safe even in the midst of my enemies; for the truth is powerful and will prevail."
Trut 80 yoshlarida ham sayohat qilib, nutq irod etishda davom etadi. 1883-yil vafotiga qadar u adovatga boy dunyoda o'z huquqlari uchun kurashgan to'g'riso'z tanqidchi bo'lib qoladi. Trutning o'zi aytganidek: “Hatto dushmanlarim orasida ham men o'zimni xavfsiz his etaman; chunki haqiqat kuchli va u tantana qiladi".