The South Haven Theater Series will celebrate Juneteenth this month with a presentation on Sojourner Truth. The Theater Series tells us more:
Come celebrate Juneteenth as South Haven Theatre Series presents Sandra Jones in “Sojourner Truth, the Legacy Lives On” at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 18 in the Listiak Auditorium of South Haven High School, 600 Elkenburg Street.
With the support of the South Haven Community Foundation, this production is presented free of charge. South Haven Theatre Series is proud to join other town organizations to celebrate this important national holiday of Juneteenth with “Sojourner Truth, the Legacy Lives On”, starring Sandra Jones.
Ms. Jones steps into the role of Sojourner Truth and bridges the dimensions of time to bring to life one of the most astonishing women of history.
Sojourner Truth, born Isabella Baumfree, was an inspirational woman of American History, and a heroic figure to the African American and female community. Born in western New York in about 1797 where slavery was legal, she was the ninth child of an enslaved family to Dutch settlers. Eventually, she and all her siblings were sold, and for 40 years Isabella toiled and felt the lash, was raped and abused repeatedly.
After Sojourner Truth survived abuse and torture, she persevered and became a figure of her time and remains a figure today. Sojourner transformed from slave into a leader, a teacher, a woman’s rights activist, a prison reform activist and most importantly, a free woman. She was the first black woman to fight and win the custody battle for her son who was taken from her while she was enslaved. Clearly, her courage knew no bounds, her heart could not be suppressed and those around her could feel her passion and hear her voice in a dark time when not everyone had a voice. Sojourner was a woman of action, yes, and she exhibited power in her words, too. Her voice cut through her community, inspiring those around her so much that we quote her “Ain’t I a Woman” speech today.
Actress, Sandra Jones, with great care, depicts Sojourner Truth which allows us to experience her power firsthand. “Jones invokes the spirit of Sojourner Truth, telling the story of her early hardship and her later triumphs, including her meeting with Abraham Lincoln,” stated Lynn Felder in the Winston Salem Journal.
