People gathered inside the Ulster County Courthouse this week to honor abolitionist and activist Sojourner Truth and the impact she made inside the courtroom.

In 1797, Isabella Baumfree was born into slavery in Ulster County. She later changed her name to Sojourner Truth.

Years later, she became a mother, and her son was taken from her and sold. That’s when she decided to take a stand. She filed a petition in Ulster County Court in 1828 to fight for her son’s freedom. It was the first time in American history that a Black woman sued a white man and won.

“It is very, very important to have the original versions of these most important documents signed by Sojourner Truth, as she was seeking justice in our New York state courts for her son, who has stolen from her during the time of slavery. I can't imagine, I can't, I can't convey adequately what that feels,” said Deputy Chief Administration Judge for New York Court System Edwina Mendelson.

Looking at the original signed documents makes many people emotional, including one young activist with the Kingston YMCA Farm Project, Aleshannee Emanuel.

“I think that she is a strong Black presence, and I think that's what we need. I think that with Juneteenth coming up, I think that it just is perfect, like it mixes perfectly with everything that she was aligned with and everything that we're aligned with and fighting for, to carry on her legacy,” said Emanuel.

Emanuel was one of the members in her organization involved in trying to name a statewide holiday after Truth after making it permanent in Ulster County.

“So November 26 was the day that Sojourner died. It was in 1883, I believe, in Battle Creek, Michigan. So that was after she like had lived a long life of like, being an abolitionist, being a feminist, just an advocate for the thing that she believed in, civil rights and stuff like that. So that day is the only day that we could find that was like something about her, just her essence, like we couldn't find the day that she was born. So that was the next best thing,” said Emanuel.

Emanuel believes Sojourner led the way for people of color and is grateful for all that she did.

“Just knowing that Sojourner did this years and years ago really empowers me to be here. And I think this knowing that she's from my town and like, just having the same kind of path as her of righting injustices is like, unmatched,” said Emanuel.

The documents signed by Truth will remain inside the Ulster County Courthouse.