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Amici PodcastThe "Amici" podcast series was created to share i Author: John Caher
The "Amici" podcast series was created to share information and insight from New York's judges and the Unified Court System with constituents, stakeholders and anyone else who might have an interest in these topics. Language: en Genres: Government Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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The case that made sojourner truth: How a formerly enslaved woman beat the establishment
Friday, 20 February, 2026
In this special Black History Month edition of Amici: News and Insights from the New York Courts, we shine a light on one of the most extraordinary and often overlooked stories in American legal history. It begins in Ulster County, New York, where a newly freed Black woman discovers that her young son has been illegally sold to a plantation in Alabama. Determined to bring her son home and seek justice for herself and her family, she turns to the Ulster County Courthouse in Kingston, NY. Her name was Isabella, the woman the world would come to know as Sojourner Truth. Thanks to the kindness of those she encountered in the courthouse and the bravery of the grand jury she stood in front of, Sojourner Truth became the first Black woman in the United States to successfully sue a white man and win. To help us explore this remarkable chapter of Sojourner Truth’s life, we’re joined by historian and Ulster County Commissioner of Jurors Paul O’Neill. Paul has made it part of his mission to share Sojourner Truth’s story with today’s jurors as a reminder “That each of us plays a role, and each of us can make a difference.” Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2026-02/Paul-O-Neill-Sojourner-Truth.pdf
