Sojourner Truth Day set for November 26

November 26 will be henceforth be proclaimed Sojourner Truth Day in the State of New York.

“Sojourner Truth is an American hero whose courage as a fighter for justice, equality, and freedom continues to galvanize a new generation of leaders,”said Senator Michelle Hinchey, a co-sponsor of the bill to designate November 26 as Sojourner Truth Day. “Among these trailblazers is the Kingston YMCA Youth Crew, whose impassioned call to action sparked our bill to establish Sojourner Truth Day as an annual observance in New York. As custodians of Truth’s legacy here in Ulster County, her birthplace, we bear a profound responsibility to ensure her story is uplifted and forever remembered in state history.”

Ulster County-born abolitionist Sojourner Truth escaped slavery in 1826 with her infant daughter and spent the remainder of her life fighting for equality. Among her many endeavors, Truth fought to abolish slavery and secure the right to vote for all women, helped formerly enslaved Black Americans access government assistance, and advocated exhaustively to connect people to jobs. Truth made history in 1828, becoming the first Black woman to sue a white man and prevail in a U.S. court when she won a groundbreaking legal battle to secure her son’s release from slavery at the Ulster County Courthouse in Kingston.

“The story of Sojourner Truth and her historic lawsuit against white slave owners is integral to the history of Ulster County, and it didn’t make sense that while New York commemorates Truth’s peers, she herself was not officially commemorated on the calendar. Unlike a resolution, which is one-time, a commemoration is an annual remembrance day on the state calendar,” Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha said. “The Assembly doesn’t pass many commemoration bills, but we were able to successfully make a case that this one is special.”

Ulster County will celebrate the occasion with the reveal of a historical marker outside the County Courthouse, where Truth won her son’s freedom, from 11-11:45am. An evening gathering will follow beginning at 6pm at the Ulster County Restorative Justice Center. All events are free and open to the public.