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Film screening and panel seek the “real” Sojourner Truth

Andrew Bruso

sojourner truthAn event series celebrating the renovation and reopening of the Sojourner Truth Library kicked off on Jan. 28 with a screening of “The Life and Legend of Sojourner Truth,” a film documentary produced by Lynn Spangler, professor and associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at SUNY New Paltz.

The film traces the history and the mythology that has grown around Truth, who survived being born into slavery and earned a prominent place in 19th century movements for abolition and for women’s rights, through the strength of her convictions and the force of her rhetoric. It includes interviews with scholars including Carleton Mabee, former professor emeritus of history at New Paltz, and Nell Irwin Painter, who visited campus in the fall to give a Distinguished Speaker Series lecture on the subject of Sojourner Truth.

The screening was attended by dozens of students, faculty and staff of the College and was followed by a panel discussion in which five faculty examined Truth’s life from five distinct perspectives:

  • Susan Lewis, associate professor of history, spoke about “Truth as Historical Figure,” with a consideration of the real person behind the legend that grew up around her memory.
  • Pat Sullivan, director of the Honors Program, spoke about “Truth as Rhetorician,” looking at the ways Truth’s language (almost always delivered as public speech) impacts our memory of her.
  • Major Coleman, chair of the Department of Black Studies, discussed “Truth as Christian,” a look at the role faith and the religious landscape of the mid-19th century United States played in her development.
  • Ciesta Quinn, adjunct faculty in the Department of Black Studies, spoke on “Truth as Performer,” in which she shared her own experiences researching and preparing to voice act the role of Truth in the documentary.
  • Lynn Spangler closed the proceedings with “Truth as Television Documentary,” a short history of what she learned in the course of producing a documentary on Truth’s life.

There are many more events to come this semester focusing on the place of the Sojourner Truth Library in the life and culture of the College and the greater New Paltz community. More information about the Library can be accessed online.