Sojourner Truth is my Name
Pat Sternberg, Dolly Beechman
Paperback
(Anchorage Pr, June 1, 1989)
Play script based on the historical life and character of the remarkable 19th century black woman, Sojourner Truth. Slave-born in 1797, in New York State, she was committed to the cause of freedom for black and white men and women all her life. Cast of 3 men, 3 women. Unadorned dress of the period. Single set on an open stage or platform. At the age of 9, Sojourner is placed on the auction block and sold away from her parents to a cruel master. Her cunning survival skills and unshakeable faith in God, are her only resources. She is also endowed with a glorious singing voice which wells up to voice her yearning for a better life. She gains her freedom at age 31, and, thereafter, becomes a dedicated leader in the struggle for human rights, notably during the Civil War, appearing as a fervent orator alongside such figures as Frederick Douglas, Amy Post, William Lloyd Garrison, and Wendell Phillips. For the rest of her life, undaunted, she worked for the rights of all men and women, black and white, seeking freedom for slaves, and social justice for all.