Michelle Obama Unveils a Bronze Bust of Sojourner Truth at the Capitol

"If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!" said Sojourner Truth, the former slave-turned-abolitionist who was also an early crusader for women's rights.

And though she spoke those words in an 1851 speech at the Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, Truth (born Isabella Baumfree) could very well have been describing the ladies who gathered at the Capitol in Washington, DC to unveil a bronze bust in her honor.

Lawmakers, students and actress Cicely Tyson were among those who gathered at the visitor's center to celebrate Truth's legacy and watch First Lady Michelle Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others unveil the bronze bust of Truth.

"We're here because of barriers she challenged and fought to tear down, and paths she helped to forge and trod alone," Clinton said to an audience made up mostly of women.

Artist Artis Lane created the bust, which was paid for with private money.
Truth's sculpture will remain on permanent display in the underground visitor center's main space, called Emancipation Hall in part because slaves helped build the Capitol.

"Now many young boys and girls, like my own daughters, will come to Emancipation Hall and see the face of a woman who looks like them," Mrs. Obama said.

SOURCE: AP

Michelle Obama Covers

Us Weekly: June 2008
Wondering "why Barack loves her?" Us sought to answer that relatively easy question last June.

Us Magazine

The New Yorker: July 2008
The magazine's editor claimed satire. However, no one but Obama's G.O.P. detractors found the depiction of Michelle as an armed militant and Barack as a terrorist particularly funny.

New Yorker/AP

Radar: September 2008
Using a doctored photo, Radar splashed an austere image on its cover and asked "What's So Scary About Michelle Obama?" The question was in response to anti-Michelle backlash.

Radar

Ladies Home Journal: September 2008
In a joint Q&A with her husband, Michelle told LHJ, "Finding balance has been the struggle of my life and my marriage, in being a woman, being a professional, being a mother."

Ebony: September 2008
Back when she was just a "first lady hopeful", Mrs. Obama spoke to Ebony about family and the future. As an added bonus, her mom Marian Robinson dished to the mag as well.

Ebony

Essence: September 2008
It seems like most magazine covers with one or more members of the Obama clan on them are deemed "Collector's Editions." This family-centric cover is no exception.

Essence

More: October 2008
As the presidential election neared, Michelle Obama started popping up on a wide range of magazine covers. Here she is on the cover of More, a magazine for women over 40.

More Magazine

Us Weekly: November 2008
In the days following Barack's historic election, the weekly tabloid turned political, spotlighting then-President-elect and Michelle's "Amazing Journey."

Us Magazine

OK! Weekly: November 2008
The editors at OK! claimed to know what Michelle is really like and offered a look into her private world, including "date nights with Barack."

OK! Magazine

Essence: January 2009
The famous black women's mag obviously was one of the first to put the new first lady on its cover. With a long-sleeved gown and a satisfied smile, Michelle looks like she's ready for her new role.

Essence

Although in her day she met with presidents (Abraham Lincoln in 1864 and Ulysses S. Grant in 1870) Sojourner Truth died in 1883 without ever gaining voting rights. She tried to vote on two occasions, but was turned away both times.

She is the first black woman to be honored with a bust at the Capitol.

"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," Mrs. Obama said to loud applause at a ceremony at the Capitol Visitor Center.

SOURCE: AP