Many of us know the story of Sojourner Truth from our school history books. A formerly enslaved woman, Truth is remembered as an outspoken advocate for abolition and women’s rights in the nineteenth century.
Now the Bethany Arts Community in Ossining will host the premiere of The Spirit of Truth, an evocative stage play that unveils a lesser known yet transformative chapter in the life of Truth that takes place in Sing Sing (now Ossining). Meticulously researched by Ossining Village Historian Joyce Sharrock Cole, this compelling production is part of BAC’s fifth annual Black History Month exhibition, Black History & Culture: Eyes Wide Open.
According to Cole, “Sojourner Truth has contributed so much to our society. We should be learning about her life just as we learn about anyone else’s life who has done great things and contributed to our history.” She continues, “It was her time that she spent in our village – her experience living in our community – that was the turning point for her and changed her into this great person.”
The Spirit of Truth delves into a pivotal yet rarely discussed period of Truth’s life in the 1830s, when the former slave (then known as Isabella Van Wagenen) lived in Ossining. At the heart of the drama lies her entanglement with Zion, a radical religious cult led by the enigmatic and dangerous Prophet Matthias. As portrayed in the play, lies, betrayal, sex, adultery, and even murder swirl in the wake of her search for faith and identity.
This ordeal challenges Truth’s faith and forces her to confront what spirituality and religion truly mean to her. Through these trials, she undergoes a profound spiritual awakening. Truth realizes she must leave her old self behind and embrace a new identity.
“Her time in Ossining was her defining moment and changed her life. It was a culmination of her path to becoming the iconic person celebrated in history books. She had this encounter with God, and decided to turn into Sojourner Truth,” says Cole.
“We are thrilled to bring this story to life on stage,” says Cole. “It’s a powerful reminder of how the histories of ordinary places intersect with extraordinary people like Sojourner Truth. Her time in Ossining was instrumental in shaping the figure we revere today.”
As for her whole life story, documents reveal that Truth was born Isabella Bomfree in Dutch-speaking Ulster County, New York, in 1797. Born into slavery, her enslavers bought and sold Truth four times and subjected her to harsh physical labor and violent punishments. In her teens, she was united with another enslaved man with whom she had five children. In 1827, a year before New York’s law freeing enslaved people was to take effect, Truth ran away with her infant Sophia to a nearby abolitionist family, the Van Wageners. The family bought her freedom and helped Isabella successfully sue for the return of her 5-year-old son Peter, who was illegally sold into slavery in Alabama.
Isabella moved to New York City in 1828, where she worked for a local minister and became a follower of the Prophet Matthias and his cult. In 1833 she was hired to be a housekeeper for Benjamin and Ann Folger, who housed the cult in a location called Zion Hill (still standing today as part of the Beechwood condominium complex). Records show that Benjamin Folger implicated her in the murder of cult member Elijah Pierson. However, she sued for libel and won. Believing she was called by God to spread a message of freedom and equality, Isabella changed her name to Sojourner Truth on Pentecost Sunday, 1843 and began her new life as a travelling preacher.
This is the third play Cole, whose ancestors were enslaved, has produced on important moments in Black history. “I was inspired because, as a historian and a presenter, there are only so many PowerPoints that you want to do. And I wanted to share our history in a different way. I like using different mediums to tell history,” she says.
Cole researched background information for the show at the Westchester County Historical Society, Westchester County Archives, New York State Archives, Library of Congress, ancestry.com, and other online sources.
The Spirit of Truth will be performed at 7 p.m. on Feb. 28 and March 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9. Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for students and seniors. Written by acclaimed playwright Samuel Harps, commissioned by BAC, and researched by Cole, the play is directed by Mel Hancock.
