An unlettered theologian

One of the few Black women I remember reading about in history class in the 1970s was Sojourner Truth. We learned that she was a former slave who delivered a famous speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” The word theologian was not associated with Truth in my childhood textbooks, but biographer Nancy Koester adds that word to the list—alongside reformer, licensed preacher, and author. “Truth’s faith often gets ‘obscured’ when her life is seen only through the lens of social reform,” writes Koester in her excellent new biography, which is saturated with facts but still reads smoothly.

Truth ministered as a theologian, preacher, and lecturer despite being unable to read or write. She was born into slavery as Isabella Baumfree. In 1799, when she was two years old, the state of New York, where she lived, passed the first of multiple laws to abolish slavery. Abolition took effect gradually, with the emancipation of some enslaved people delayed until 1827. This approach allowed slaveholders to exploit young people like Isabella for decades. Enslaved people in New York were more isolated than in the South, with only two or three in a household. A year before emancipation was to take place, Isabella fled from her enslaver with her young infant, leaving behind three older children. A Dutch Reformed abolitionist couple purchased freedom for her and the baby.

Afro-Dutch people like Isabella celebrated Pinkster (the Dutch name for Pentecost) each year. This was a time when family members could be briefly united. One month before emancipation, Isabella was on the way to visit her older children for Pinkster when she had a vision of Jesus that inspired her to become a preacher.