Sojourner Truth Legacy Plaza, statue opens to public

A memorial plaza paying tribute to abolitionist Sojourner Truth’s legacy opened on High Street in downtown Akron. 

Truth, a staunch advocate for abolition, civil rights and women’s suffrage, gave her most famous speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” in Akron. The speech is among the most iconic in American history. The new landmark is located near the very spot where she spoke before the Ohio Women’s Convention in the Old Stone Church.

Open to the public seven days a week from dawn to dusk, the plaza was designed by landscape architect Dion Harris of Summit Metro Parks. At its center, the plaza features a design inspired by an impala lily, the national flower of Ghana, Truth’s ancestral homeland, and a statue of Truth sculpted by Akron-based artist Woodrow Nash. A path winding through the plaza displays important dates in Truth’s life.

The Legacy Plaza is located at 37 N High St. in Akron, next to the Sojourner Truth Building, which houses the United Way of Summit and Medina. ∞