Death is an avenue, a river with many streams,
and those who choose to follow the streams of light
do not forget those we have left behind.
Ann: Mrs. Truth? I don’t know what to call you.
Sojourner Truth:* I was called by many names. My birth name was given to me by white enslavers who saw me as one more piece of property. So I claimed another name, Sojourner Truth, the name of God’s messenger, God’s traveler, and God’s visionary who could sing into the hearts of any who would listen.
From the moment I claimed that name, I was dedicated to the mission of truth, the truth that the soul of every man and women, slave and owner, child and mother, have the same right to be and be treated equal. It don’t matter what name you try to put on it, there is no difference in worth.
And I saw that, in this world, the only way to make this right was to give every person come of age the right to vote. Without that, there is no representation, no equality, and no fairness.
And so I fought, I spoke, I marched, and I sang at every God-given opportunity. It has taken a long time, but there has been hard won progress, every step forward fought and denied by those who claimed precedence.
This battle goes on today, and once again the vote is critical. Lies, trickery, and underhanded goings on are being put in place to deny the vote to those whose ancestors have fought and died to make it real.
I refuse to be silent.
You may think that death has sent me into the ether of unconsciousness, but nothing could be further from the truth. Death reveals the light, and that light opens our eyes to what we did right and what we did wrong, so don’t anyone think that death is a get out of jail free card. Death is an avenue, a river with many streams, and those who choose to follow the streams of light do not forget those we have left behind.
So I come to you today to add my voice to those who stand against tyranny. There is no such thing as a good dictator or a shanghaied government “for the benefit of the people.” Sooner or later these rulers will be toppled. Do it now, my friends, or pay the price in blood and treasure later on when only the most drastic of methods can unseat those who have corrupted the power of the vote.
Don’t let this country go down that slippery slope again. Now is the time to stand up and fight. If we let the right to vote be stolen, our children and their children will pay in blood and tears.
It is not too late. It is in fact the moment of truth, the moment to journey to the truth.
Claim your own name and write your own history. I did. You can too.
April 3, 2022
*Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) was an African American evangelist, abolitionist, women’s rights activist and author who was born into slavery in Swartekill, New York, before escaping to freedom in 1826. After gaining her freedom, Truth preached about abolitionism and equal rights for all. History, https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/sojourner-truth.
Free Image Credit: Wikimedia Images.