“Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman?”

–Sojourner Truth

All over the world, people remember the famous speech made by Martin Luther King titled, ‘I have a Dream’ which admittedly is one of the best written speeches in history, but only a handful know of the words uttered by a former slave by the name of Sojourner Truth. Her speech, interestedly enough, points the absurdities of beliefs held by men in 1851 on two fronts; the differentiation created between men and women along with highlighting the stark differences of how African Americans in general were treated. The fact that an individual who was not as educated or experienced in the political sphere was able to publically ridicule men and women in the audience by a short and simple impactful speech is admirable. It brought people to recognise the harsh realities of the word that they were a part of, where the offspring of slaves were sold off and families were destroyed forever and women often did more labour-intense work then men but still were not respected in society. She ridiculed all stereotypes in society regarding women and made sure to hold her own in a tough crowd. Even after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, she pushed for further change not only for the African American community but for the liberation of women as wellto remain true to her reform ideals. Her life is one of success in the face of all odds stacked against her.