Commemorations
(transferred from March 10)
Harriet Tubman, d. 1913, and Sojourner Truth, d. 1883, Renewers
of Society
Reflection
Harriet Tubman was born a slave in Maryland around 1820. Fearing being sold and
sent further south, she escaped in 1848 by means of the clandestine Underground
Railroad. In the decade that followed, Tubman made frequent trips into slave
territory and helped some 300 slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad.
During the Civil War, she served the Union Army as a scout, spy, and nurse.
After the War, her home in Auburn,
New York, became a center for
women’s rights and served the aged and poor.
Sojourner Truth was born Isabella Baumfree in 1797 in New York, of slave
parents. She was forced to marry an older slave, with whom she had five
children. After New York abolished slavery in
1827, she settled in New York City,
where she worked as a housekeeper, during which time she became deeply involved
in Christianity. After experiencing a spiritual vision in 1843, she changed her
name to Sojourner Truth and began to travel throughout Long Island and Connecticut preaching
“God’s truth and plan for salvation.” She added abolition and women’s suffrage
to her message, which was enhanced by her imposing six-foot-tall stature.
Prayer
Gracious God, Thank you for raising up courageous women who
tirelessly devoted their lives to dismantle injustice. Inspire us to work for
justice. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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