Sojourner Truth Institute
"It is up to us who walk in Sojourner Truth’s footsteps to carry on into the future and continue to build upon her legacy"
- Velma Laws Clay
Sojourner Truth was the most famous African American woman in 19 th century America.
Her story is one of courage and determination. For over forty years she traveled the
country fighting for human rights. A powerful figure in several national social
movements, Sojourner Truth advocated forcefully for the abolition of slavery, women’s
rights and suffrage, the rights of freedmen, and prison reform.
Inspired by Sojourner Truth’s legacy, Dr. Velma Laws Clay established the Sojourner
Truth Institute of Battle Creek in 1998 to expand the historical and biographical
knowledge of Sojourner Truth’s life work and carry on her mission by teaching,
demonstrating and promoting projects that accentuate the ideals and principles for
which she stood.
Today, the Institute leads intentional dialogue and educational opportunities rooted in
social justice, women’s rights and racial equality.
