Letter to the Editor:
I write to you today with utter excitement. I have just returned from my trip to Ohio, where I attended a women’s rights convention, and could barely wait to tell you of this incredible experience! During the convention, a woman by the name of Sojourner Truth gave a speech about women’s rights, except she is a Negro and so her speech concerns not only women but Negro women. Now I do not know where you stand concerning this issue but I do think it is worth your time to read what I will tell you here today.
This Truth, she is six feet tall and has a clear, deep voice that, as soon as she started speaking, embraced the room and brought it to complete silence. I have never seen a crowd so excited and fueled up by what a Negro has to say, much less a lady Negro, but I find myself as excited as the rest of the crowd.
A colleague of mine, Frances Gage, recorded most of what Truth said and I can give you an address to write to Frances if you are interested in reading the entire speech. Let me tell you what I heard that day.
Truth starts out complaining (a lady Negro complaining!) that, although one of the men had stated that women should be helped into carriages and helped over ditches, she has never been offered this help. Why not? She is indeed a woman! She then uncovered her arm to reveal an extremity resembling that of a strong male…twice as large as yours I’m sure! She goes on to say that she has worked very hard, many years, and that no man could head her. You should have heard the crowd roaring Sir. Her voice was so powerful I wanted to jump up and roar with them! But let me tell you, this woman is smart. She is smart because she uses her labor to show that she is worth just as much as a man who does that same labor, only she could do it better…yet she is a woman! Then she goes on to talk about her children, sold into slavery as she cries a mother’s grief…do you know the love that a mother has for her child? No, how could you? You are a man. Do you understand what Ms. Truth has done here? She has allowed those old men who think that women should be helped, because they are weak, because they are worth less, to see the strength that a woman acquires from being a laboring woman, from being a mother! They could not understand this strength because they can never go through what we as women have gone through, what Truth as a Negro lady has gone through.
Do you think she ends here? O no, she is not done. She embarrasses one of the ministers by pointing out that this “intellect” that he argues is had by men alone, is rubbish as it only means that men are mean. This might be confusing but I am sure you will read every speech given by the white men at the conference on tomorrow’s front page!
Finally, she ridicules another speaker who argued that women should have fewer rights than men because God was a man and not a woman. Excuse me Sir if I need to take a moment…but this argument, even when I heard it spoken by that man, made me want to give up completely. Not Ms. Truth though…she asks this man where his Christ came from, because her Christ came from a woman and God. Can you imagine the crowd, louder than ever! I did in fact jump up to join the cheering at this point.
Sir, I find it difficult to express to you in a mere letter what this Sojourner Truth did on that day. I can merely try to make you understand the intensity, the truth, and the rawness of what she said.
I ask you today to take the time to read her speech, maybe even write to her, because she is an incredible leader that should be known and heard by everyone. Use your sources to make this happen, I beg of you.
Ms. Sojourner Truth, in this speech, allowed equality to be a reality, even for a mere fifteen minutes. All the women who have worked as hard as the men next to them, but have been paid less, who have raised the children alone while working, who have suffered under the hand and words of a man, stronger than them, who have been silenced because they are women, all of these women were given a voice when Truth went to the podium that day.
I ask you, as a woman, and as a friend, to consider what I have tried to convey in this letter. Change is coming, women will be equal. Know this and see the opportunity you have in publishing this information.
My regards,
Ellen Radcliffe.
A women as powerful and influential as Sojourner Truth probably caught the attention of women of all races even though they don’t want to admit it. The power and energy possessed by this has to be something very addicting and fascinating for women. Especially when they were basically forbidden and denied the equal rights that men had. Physically, she is quite the intimidating and overbearing woman as well. Standing at 6 feet tall and having muscles of a man really make you think twice about not taking her seriously. She makes a very clear point regarding a woman’s love for her children, and unfortunately many men won’t be able to understand.
ReplyDeleteWatching her ridicule the speaker that felt women should have fewer rights because God is a man must have been quite entertaining. I wish I would have been there to witness that, to put him in his place. I bet she knew exactly how she was going to slam him in front of everyone before he even finished his pathetic argument. The roar of the crowd must have been pretty intense at that moment. Taking the time to read her speech is time well spent by any individual of any time or any background.
Throughout your entire “letter” to the Editor you seemed to use pathos a lot, which is great because it is convincing. It is true that women can go through so much suffering, yet get less respect than men who many go through far less anguish. This emotional effect constitutes as the usage of pathos. With all of your enthusiasm about the topic, you made me want to run out of my room and protest in the snowy streets for equality of women. Through the emotions in your “letter” you made me believe that I was in that period of time when women were not seen as equals to men.
ReplyDeleteYou sounded like a woman with determined beliefs after attending the conference. I just attended a conference on tutoring today, and I feel very enthusiastic about all the new ideas I learned. However, this topic is much more emotional and personal, which means that your enthusiasm is of course tenfold that of mine. Your enthusiastic determination was contagious, and spread like a fire on a dry hillside in the middle of summer.
I do not know what I would do without my rights as an American woman in current day society. I am extremely hard working. Ever since high school I have held down a job, and have continued working ever since then. I have had multiple jobs at the same time, all while attending school as a full-time student. I consider myself a strong woman in society, and if I were to be treated as anything else, I would simply not stand for it! I would be out there in the snow protesting with all my might, which is what many woman did in that time period, and they did it for good reason.
Ms. Ellen Radcliffe,
ReplyDeleteMay I say, what an incredible “letter”? I want to comment on how detailed you are of the presumed situation at the time and reaction towards Sojourner Truth. I have to say, I even clapped reading the first sentence of the fourth paragraph. Without direct wording, you captured the time’s tension against racial and gender difference. Who would think a female voice would captivate nationwide at such a time of disapproving society. It is well put how women have their own tribulations as well as their family’s to deal with and endure. As a Black woman, it is safe to say that she must have prevailed over almost every misfortune life has to offer. Not to say that African American have it the worse (in the world) but it is meant to inspire others who believe they have come to the end. When you fail to believe in yourself and in what you have to say, think of Truth who voiced out in spite of her race and gender.
Also, you gave a nice touch on bringing up few of the speakers who belittled women. Rewording Truth in what she had to say against their ill comments tells us and clearly states your stand on the matter. You were not only impressed in her capability but in her view and conviction as a woman as well. Mentioning the growing applause throughout the audience also impressed me; you successfully persuaded me in Truth’s victorious speech. Without seeing or hearing Ms. Sojourner Truth, I expect her to be a very courageous and well rounded being.
P.S. In reply to your comment on my blog “Silent but Deadly”, I do understand what you mean. Us as adults should not be excused for remaining quiet because unlike grammar school or middle school our minds should be better developed. Unfortunately, with years of practicing cowardice act, speaking up becomes a different world we are petrified to enter. Maybe selfishness can also catch the fall; for we are too selfish to act against our own fears.