Ain't I A Woman?

Nikki Bracci
Professor Richardson
PHI/WGS 297
Blog Post #2

In 1851 Sojourner Truth spoke in front of a congregation at a women's rights convention in Ohio, this speech came to be called the "Ain't I A Woman" speech. The words she spoke that night have traveled from classroom to classroom, showing the strife and hardships women, especially African American women were facing at the time.

Truth is making it very clear that although people both women and some men are fighting for women's rights - they are really only fighting for the rights of white women. Truth explains that even though she is a woman she has never been treated in the ways that men at the convention said woman should be treated. In saying this she is proving that even if the oppression of women is lifted and women get their rights, black women will still carry the burden of oppression and will not feel the freedom white women will receive.

I have read this speech multiple times and every time I find it more and more powerful. The fact that a woman who is considered "uneducated" and "unimportant" in a sense, can deliver a speech so powerful and timeless is amazing. Also it proves that she is not what everyone stereotypes her to be - it shows that she is as strong as a man - which should ultimately get her rights because she is equal to him but she is also a women which should make her equal to the female gender. I think what Truth is saying in this speech is simply that people are fighting for women's equality but are neglecting to fight for ALL women - instead they are fighting for women who are viewed as sociably acceptable.

Some can argue that in 1851, when slavery was still common - it was unreasonable for Truth to expect people to fight for her freedom and the freedom of African American (minority) women in general. As viable as a reason this is for the neglect minority women faced - it is not an excuse. In Ohio, where Truth spoke these famous words, slavery was abolished- and therefore African American women should of, in a sense, been equal to white women. The overlying issue is that not only were women facing this oppression and lack of rights, but so were minorities, and in this case African Americans. It was not unreasonable of Truth to want equal representation out of feminists. Yes, slavery was still going on in other states, but 14 years later slavery was no longer legalized and African American women were still seen as outcasts from the female gender.