Truth became a powerful orator pushing for abolition and women’s rights while also pointing out contradictions in the arguments used by white women to justify these rights in her “Ain’t I A Woman?” speech. She used her voice to push for change, but she also used her image to support herself financially by selling cartes de visite (collectible cards with photographs and messages that were a form of mass communication in the 1860s). Beyond providing financial support, Truth’s images also provided support for ending slavery, joining the ongoing project of using photography to present Black people
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