The University of California San Diego’s alumna, and local artist, Manuelita Brown standing beside the life-sized bronze sculpture of abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth. (Photo by Erik Jepsen/UC San Diego Publication)
The University of California San Diego is now home to a life-size bronze sculpture of abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth.
The statue was created by one of the university’s very own alumna, local artist Manuelita Brown.
Brown stated that the six-foot statue located at UC San Diego’s Thurgood Marshall College is a “decade-long dream realized.”
“Sojourner Truth serves as a drum major for social justice, equity and voting rights,” Brown said in a statement. “It is my hope that the brilliant students and graduates of UC San Diego will be reminded each day as they walk past her of what they can accomplish with a superior education.”
Truth was born as Isabella Baumfree in 1797 on the Hardenbergh plantation in New York, and spent most of her life fighting for women’s rights and the abolition of slavery. In 1826, Truth and her infant daughter, Sophia, escaped to freedom.
(Photo by Erik Jepsen/UC San Diego Publication)
She is best known for her speech “Ain’t I a Woman?” where she speaks about the plight and oppression of women during that time period. Truth later became involved in recruiting Black troops for the Union Army during the Civil War. She also attempted to secure land grants for former slaves from the federal government. Though her efforts were unsuccessful, Truth is remembered as one of the few women during that time period who advocated for women’s rights and equality.
The chancellor of the university said Truth’s sculpture and “presence will serve to start conversations about who she was and what she stood for, a reminder of her influence and the need to continually address racial and gender equality.”