New York enshrines Sojourner Truth Day

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — New York has a new state holiday on November 26: Sojourner Truth Day. It honors the legacy of the African American abolitionist and women’s rights activist whose voice still echoes in the Empire State.

On November 26, Ulster County unveiled a new historic marker outside the County Courthouse in Kingston during Sojourner Truth Day, celebrated countywide since 2021. It reads:

“At This Courthouse In 1828, The Orator And Anti-Slavery Activist Successfully Sued To Free Her Son Peter From Enslavement.”

Meanwhile, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed S1480A/A6583A, a bill establishing the holiday for the rest of the counties in New York. But it's not a public holiday that will close any government offices.

“Establishing an annual commemoration of Sojourner Truth's legacy is a fitting tribute to this New York-born icon,” Hochul said.

Born in the Hudson Valley in 1797, Truth escaped slavery in Ulster County in 1826. In a civil rights milestone in 1828, she became the first Black woman in the U.S. to win a court case against a white man: the slaveholder who legally owned her son.

Momentum behind the legislation began in 2020 with backing from the local YMCA Farm Hub Youth Crew in Kingston. Aleshanee Emanuel, a member of the Farm Hub Youth Crew, created the artwork depicting Truth that was used for the ceremonies.

Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger also issued a proclamation recognizing Truth’s pursuit of freedom and justice. And Rev. Deborah Zuill reenacted Truth’s legendary “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech from the 1851 Women’s Rights Convention.

State Senator Michelle Hinchey and Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha, who sponsored the bill, joined Barbara Allen, Truth’s sixth-generation granddaughter to reveal the new marker.

“Being here in Kingston to honor Sojourner Truth and represent the family is a tremendous privilege,” said Barbara Allen, Truth’s sixth generation descendent. “Sojourner was a truly extraordinary woman, and her legacy deserves recognition for her contributions not just to Kingston but to the world as a pioneering abolitionist and women's rights leader. Her memory will always endure.”

In honor of the day, Allen received copies of some antique court artifacts dating back to Truth’s case, including documents with her signature. They're on display at Kingston's Restorative Justice Center at 733 Broadway in Kingston through Black History Month.

In 2022, Hochul announced Sojourner Truth State Park in Ulster County, the first new state park since 2019.

Related video: History in Bronze: Sojourner Truth