"Ain't I A Woman?" by Sojourner Truth
View the Emmy Award-winning animated short film below centering on the iconic speech "Ain't I a Woman"
delivered by Sojourner Truth at the 1851 women's convention in Akron Ohio.
Next, Choose one of the options below.
Option 1
Submit a 250-300 word personal response to the video below by Friday, March 25 and be entered in a raffle for some fun swag.
You can also view this short in the Library's Performance Area
on the 4th floor of the Library, M-F, 8-5.
Submitted March 9:
There are many men who still think that women are not as strong as men. Who thinks that women still need the best place not an equal place. Women in today's society are stronger than ever. Women are breaking barriers. Today more than ever women are going viral on the internet for beating men in weight lifting competitions, Stem Programs, and even being one the cover of million air magazines. If women were never allowed a voice we would never have seen movements and reproductive rights or anything that advocates for women. I am glad that the society that I live in now was not like the times when women did not have equal rights.women are still facing hard times being seen as equals but we are slowly getting there. There was just a law passed for all women soccer players to get paid equally as men soccer players. It is outrageous to me that there was even a time that women were not even considered to be anything close to equal a menl. There is still so much growth that needs to happen for female equality. There is so much uproar that women have. We want to be treated as equals, we want equal pay, equal job opportunity and so much more. Women are loud, strong, and brave that we will be heard no matter how long it takes. We will be treated equally in everything that we do. Women are just as good as men. We have a voice and we will use it loud and proud.
Submitted March 23:
The animated short, written and directed by Kyle Portbury, based on the speech “Ain’t I a woman”, delivered by Sojourner Truth at the 1851 Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio does an excellent job of capturing the bold conviction with which Sojourner Truth advocated for women’s rights as an abolitionist and suffragist. The trials she endured as a slave and as a woman would spark in her a desire to champion the need for equal rights and the fair treatment of women and slaves. Her conviction gave her a powerful voice, allowing her to be a voice for those disenfranchised and voiceless many; slaves and women. It is not easy to stand against popular opinion. For Sojourner Truth, her safety and her very life were at stake. And yet, despite all that she would stand to lose, she chose to stand boldly and declare that she IS a woman and as strong as any man. She IS a woman and still somehow less than and not worthy of the same treatment as her white sisters. With truth and conviction, she declared herself an equal while pointing out exclusion and disparity. The scene depicted is impactful. I can’t help but wonder where we would be without the voice of the women that came before us and demanded better for us. She would never know how many lives she would touch, and how this moment in time and the words she chose would change the world for the better. We vote, we live and we are free. I am grateful for her bravery and her strength. I am thankful that we have come so far.
Submitted March 23
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After viewing the video I was reminded of the book of Genesis. In the Book of Genesis it is said that God made man from the dust of the earth, when God saw that man needed a companion he put the man in a deep sleep and from the rib of man God made a woman. God new that man alone could not function without woman, they were made to be in partnership. The rib is in a part of the body that helps a man balance, how would a person without a rib walk. The rib was chosen because it is an instrumental part of the body, it protects organs that the body could not survive without or if harmed. This is another symbol as to why men and woman were created to complement each other not man being superior. God created woman from a man but not because man was superior but as s symbol of unity one could not be without the other. Woman bear children God did that for a reason, men are not equipped or built to bear children as woman are. Men were not built to endure the pain of childbirth and woman are not built to endure pain that men can withstand none of this make one more superior than the other simply different and complimenting what the other is uncapable of doing. Women were not created to be beneath man but to compliment and help man. This does not mean women should not have a voice. Today woman are bread winners in their home, they play the roles of mothers and fathers, providers and more. They are not just nurturers the are hard workers. Women have overcome the stigma that women belong in the kitchen, women are intelligent beings holding powerful and important positions. So many women have made positive differences in our society. In my opinion neither man nor woman are superior to the other, they are equal and have attributes that compliments one another. Don’t let society take your voice, you are strong and courageous. Women have come so far to revert to the days when they had no voice. Submitted March 23 The ongoing battle for equality between men and women has lasted for centuries, along with the foolish philosophy that women are less than men. This philosophy is upheld and defended by biases, stereotypes, ignorance, and even weaponized religion. This behavior and mindset is not only invalid, but also extremely outdated. Last I recall, women have walked the earth just as long as men. Nevertheless, their presences are hidden and voices are silenced as if they were never there. Many may believe it is to “protect women” or more so protect men’s positions of power. But the only thing this sexist belief does is encourage division between the sexes; hindering us from truly working as a harmonious community. Men have fooled themselves to believe that women are unfit for power, viewing them as competition or incompetent. Women are stuck in a cycle that they must continuously prove, earn, protest, or negotiate their value and rights. I wish more people (mainly men) could understand how much better life would be— not only for women, but for everyone— if men and women were seen as equal. You’d think after years of women suffering in silence, rising to positions of power, contributing to sciences and health, even fighting in wars alongside men we would see that there never needed to be a barrier of inequality. We were always meant to work together, our differences should be respected, celebrated, strengthen us and improve our quality of life. After all we were created as Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. |
Option 2
Write a 2-4 page essay, using 2 scholarly sources, that addresses the events depicted in the video by Friday, March 25. Scholarships will be awarded:
$500.00 1st place
$300.00 2nd place
$200.00 3rd place