Latonya smith

Isabella Van Wagener was a very strong and powerful Black women. She was filled with faith and confidence. She had the drive of a determinate and never give up until justice is served attitude. She was a women who believed that the impossible was possible. She was one of the most influential activists in the U.S. history.  Wagener was a feminist and an abolitionist who fought for freedom. She was born in 1797 and was known as Isabella Baumfree. She could not read or write but she can read people. According to Michael Mike (2005), “She learned the bible by having it read to her and she learned how to preach by watching Methodist church services”. She preached in public squares in front of stores and wherever she can find a group. One of her accomplishments was the “Sojourner Truth”: A Life, a Symbol. In 1981, she made the National Women’s Hall of Fame. In 1986, she was honored with a stamp. Wagener was the type of woman who fought her way into several American reform movements. She has five children. In 1827 New York had a law that stated that slaves couldn’t be sold out of state and were to be freed upon turning 21. At the time Isabella son Peter was 5, so this law worked against him. Isabella did everything in her power to get her son back. New York allows blacks to file, so Isabella filed a lawsuit.  Not only she won the case but she was the first black female that have ever won a lawsuit.   In 1862 president Lincoln signed a law outlawing slavery. After that happen blacks set up refugee camps and kidnappers tried to sell blacks back into slavery. At the camps she encourage blacks to stay strong and never give up.  Also, she fought for women suffrage and temperance.  At 30 years old, she was a freed slave. By the age of 46 years old, she was a domestic servant in a religious organization. According to the research, I have learned that she is important because she encourage every black American to keep pressing on until they meet their goals. She encourage others to never let what people say be the determine factor of his or her destiny. The roads might be rocky at first but eventually the roads will smooth out sooner or later. Isabella’s image stands out because she is a symbol of what an African American women should be like in this era. Some African American women do not go through the trenches like Isabella did to get to a place where she can look back and say “wow I did that”. Life comes with trials and tribulations and Isabella proved that we as African American woman can overcome those obstacles with having faith in God and allowing him to direct our path. For instance, she did not know how to read or write but she developed another alternative to help her master those two weak areas. Isabella significance stems from her ability to run after her goals and without turning back.