In November of 2001, the city of Florence donated a city park to be the site of the Sojourner Truth Memorial that includes a statue to honor Truth’s legacy. Sojourner Truth was born in 1797 as a slave with the name Isabella Bomfree, in Ulster County, New York. Truth became a runaway slave in 1827 when she and her baby Sophia fled to a nearby abolitionist family, the Van Wegeners. She then became a local minister in New York City and changed her name in response to a call from the Spirit telling her to preach the truth. This truth included speaking out against slavery.