Did you know Sojourner truth was a prayer warrior as a child?
by Rev Dele
I’m not much for the Western world’s holidays because they prevent us from gathering nourishment from the cycles of nature. Too much attention on celebrities robs us of the confidence to cultivate the Divine spark inside each of us that makes everyone a shero or hero to someone. Today is the beginning of February and the new moon, so I figured this is a good time to tell you about my inspiration for writing my NEW children’s book about Sojourner Truth. Be sure to share this information during your Black History celebrations throughout the rest of this month.
A bit more about Sojourner Truth
I didn’t know Sojourner Truth was a childhood prayer warrior until I moved five miles south of where Sojourner lived as a child on the Hudson River in New York. I was telling Rev. Dr. Laverne Hall I had just visited the stone house which still stands in Port Ewen, New York. Dr. Hall’s PhD was on Sojourner Truth so she knew of Sojourner’s experiences in nature. She very casually said check it out. I re-read Sojourner’s biography and came back to Dr. Hall all excited, after learning that Sojourner’s father had been called “The Tree” and that she spent two years of her childhood gathering herbs, watching sailboats and running outside “wild.”
Dr. Hall responded, “You should write a book about it.”
I complained, “I don’t have time for all of that.”
So she said, “Write a children’s book!”
I said, “Well, I can DO that!”
And I did!
What we expect...
Mimelistag is a member of my Metis Mig Maw clan and a beautiful watercolor painter so I asked her to do the illustrations. We had meaningful discussions about Sojourner’s nature experiences and the fact that Sojourner may have come upon Native American children while she was running around in the forest.
I also want people to know the fact that Sojourner created a daily spiritual discipline for herself at the age of eleven. She built a prayer house at the riverside because she felt God heard people more clearly when they were in nature.
Her prayer practices in nature strengthened her to the point where SHE says she got everything she prayed for. Can you imagine a world where every little girl feels confident in who they are and their connection to the Creator? I have discovered that most of our strong liberators had significant relationships with Nature.
I believe their relationship with Creation strengthened their relationship with our Creator and prevented the type of despair and burnout we see among activists today.
The book is currently at the formatter and pre-sales will begin soon. I am beyond excited to share this new work with you and your community’s little ones.
Watch the Sojourner Truth activities I have already participated in to receive inspiration! Send an email to Media@revdele.com for speaking inquiries. Let’s get connected!
Lyrics to my Sojourner Truth song
Truth walks down by the river
Truth kneels down to pray
Truth walks down by the river
And she will carry me,
Yes, Truth will carry me
The stole I am wearing in the video above was made in commemoration of Sojourner Truth and traveled across the country to the contemporary clergy women who exemplify her mission. Truth Travels, Truth is Contemporary, Truth Prevails was our mantra. I was the New York representative and among the first twelve women from “Celebrating Women in Ministry” to receive the stole in 2021 and share it with our community. We each chose an eleven year old girl to write a prayer about Truth and share with their spiritual community.
To inspire them I composed a prayer tribute that was given to each of the girls. Because I was traveling at the time, my eleven year old, Lilia Choice came from Metropolitan Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.
What a beautiful reflection. I absolutely love the stole and I’m looking forward to your book.
Thank you! I’m looking forward to the book too! I absolutely LOVE the illustrations!!