The piece of public writing that I chose was the speech, Ain’t I a woman? By Sojourner Truth. This speech was delivered at the 1851 Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio. In this piece of vocally expressed literature, Truth is speaking about how women’s rights don’t seem to apply to black women. In her experience, it made her question if she was woman enough to deserve such fragile treatment, as being helped in her carriage. She continues to express how she has delivered thirteen children and has suffered heartbreak over seeing them being sold as slaves, along with dealing with slavery on her own. Considering how relevant religion was, she mentions how people would argue that God was not a woman, so women have to have limited rights. However, she argues back that Jesus came from a woman, and that the male gender had nothing to do with him. Regardless, her point stood. How could women’s rights only apply to certain women that fit a certain description, and other women, like herself, would be disregarded? In Naming What We Know, Kevin Roozen writes, “writers are engaged in the work of making meaning for particular audiences and purposes, and writers are always connected to other people.” In this case, Truth is connecting to the black women that feel her struggle and fatigue towards being dismissed. She is also making an effort to speak to the white people who are in attendance! She doesn’t feel seen, and she doesn’t understand how there are certain requirements of being treated like a lady. One of which, race, is something that a person can’t change or control. Sojourner Truth writes, “Then they talk about this thing in the head; what’s they call it? [member of audience whispers ‘intellect’] That’s it honey. What’s that got to do with women’s rights or negroes’ rights? If my cup won’t hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn’t you be mean to not let me have my little half measure full?” In this quoted section of the speech, Truth is questioning why intellect has anything to do with the respect or decency that black women, or black people (in general), are receiving. She tells them that it’s dismissive to not let them be enough for who they are and what they have. Side note: after all, the white people that are listening should understand that black people were slaves at the time, and their education was limited, but this was not a choice! It was all a set back from the system to ensure that white people were more privileged. Furthermore, Naming What We Know, “Writing puts the writer in contact with other people, but the social nature of writing goes beyond the people writers draw upon and think about.” When applying to Truth’s speech, it is clear that, because of the time she lived in, there was a great chance that she might not be listened to thoroughly, and really heard of her experiences. However, she still spoke in hopes that the future generations would not have to deal with the same issues. She starts off her speech by saying, “‘Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that ‘twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what’s this all here talking about?” By the way she starts her speech, listeners get the feeling that they are in for a story that offers plenty of food for thought. In other words, everyone is making so much noise about something, it must be worth it, but let’s see what it looks like to her, as a black woman. Sojourner Truth’s speech is an impeccable example of using literature, in any form, for public change. It is encouraging to use our education, at any level, towards uplifting and drawing attention in the direction of issues that affect us, the world around us, the people next to us, and the generations to come, as Holmes highly encouraged.
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