I AM PROUD Collective — the supergroup of Angeline Morrison, Leonie Evans, Lizi Morse, Priscilla Andersohn and Rhiannon Takel — release their debut single I AM PROUD – in tribute to Sojourner Truth on 6th March 2026, ahead of International Women’s Day.
Formed over eighteen months and led by Bristol-based folk songwriter and illustrator Morse, the collective was assembled with a bold ambition: to create a song designed to be sung all over the world. Its subject is Sojourner Truth, the American abolitionist and activist who freed herself and one of her daughters from slavery in 1826, walking away from her slavers with pride and dignity. Truth went on to become the first Black person to win a legal case against the state and a white man, and spent a lifetime fighting for the rights of both people of colour and women at a time when those two struggles were often pitted against each other rather than in solidarity.
Drawing on Truth’s famous provocation “Ain’t I a Woman,” the single reframes that challenge as a trans-inclusive women’s protest song — a call for equality, equity, solidarity and joy.
“Racism has never gone away,” explains Morse. “Right now, more and more white communities are waking up to this, with overt racism being visible on the streets with flags, demos, and in America, the continued killing and detention of innocent humans. It is intimidating. Sojourner Truth’s legacy demonstrates that we can overcome this and stand up for what is right. Through song, we can feel connection and hope, which together can lead to action. Whether that be in voting with your ethics in mind, supporting charities that support social justice or just remembering to be kind to each other.”
The collective draws its members from across the folk world and beyond. Morrison, a familiar name on KLOF Mag and recently hailed by MOJO as one of the voices taking folk into the future, brings her deep engagement with traditional song, diaspora and hidden histories. Evans, currently based in New Orleans, is known for her dreamy jazz-inflected songwriting in her Collaborations albums and her original project, Rae. Takel is a Welsh folk singer and one-third of trans/queer folk trio Craven (featured in one of our Mixtapes here), while Andersohn works at the intersection of voice, original composition and performance art. Between them, they have drawn praise from BBC 6Music’s Cerys Matthews, BBC Radio 2’s Jamie Cullum, The Guardian and The Evening Standard.
Crowdfunded in the summer of 2025, the project has had support from the University of the West of England’s (UWE) EDI team, Bristol’s George + Dragon and Bristol’s Folk community. The single will receive its live premiere at Fire in the Mountain Festival 2026, where the collective will also run a singing workshop in celebration of Truth’s legacy.