It's December 2nd. Today we celebrate the International Day of the Abolition of Slavery. We remember all those who have suffered in the hands of slavery. The blood, sweat, and tears of tireless activists who fought for the Anti-Slavery Movement. Slavery still exists in many countries around the world and we must continue the fight for freedom.
Here are our top three female freedom activists
1) Harriet Tubman
"I had reasoned this out in my mind: there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty, or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other"
Freedom fighter Harriet Tubman (1820-1913), was the most instrumental activist for the abolition of slavery. Tubman escaped from slavery in 1849 and quickly joined the Abolition Movement. She made 13 rescue missions helping many slaves escape plantations through the Underground Railroads.
2) Sojourner Truth
"The Lord gave me Truth, because I was to declare the truth to the people”
Picture credits: Public Affairs Department of the U.S. Embassy The Hague
In New York 1797, Isabella Baumfree was born into slavery. She adopted the name Sojourner Truth after a vision from God. Truth was repeatedly beaten, abused, and sold until her escape. She took to the roads to lecture and advocate for the abolition of slavery. In 1850, Truth told her extraordinary life story to Olive Gilbert who published Narrator of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave.
Check out more powerful women and their achievements: Stacey Abrams and Kamala Harris
3) Harriet Beecher Stowe
“Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”
Picture credit: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Frederick Hill Meserve Collection
Author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) became a staunch activist at a young age. She visited plantations and spoke to fugitive slaves which inspired Stowe to speak out and write about the cruel conditions and abuses faced by enslaved African Americans.
Comments