Michelle Obama unveiled a statue of the historical abolitionist Sojourner Truth at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. It is the first African American female bust to be displayed in the historical building. The unveiling came after a ten year effort by the National Congress of Black Women.
"I hope that Sojourner Truth would be proud to see me, a descendant of slaves, serving as the first lady of the United States of America," the First Lady said in reference to her family history.
Truth was a former slave, pioneer for women's right to vote and an advocate for the abolition of slavery. She met with President Lincoln in 1864 and Ulysses S. Grant in 1870 and is fondly remembered for her speech titled "Ain't I a Woman," which she delivered at a woman's rights convention in Akron, Ohio in 1851. Truth attempted to vote on two occasions, but was rejected both times. She died in 1883 at her home in Battlecreek, Michigan.