“How often have I said, “Lord! send by whom thou wilt send, only send not me; for thou knowest that I am ignorant: how can I be a mouth for God!—a poor, colored female: and thou knowest we have many things to endure which others do not.” But the answer was, “What is that to thee? follow thou me.””

— Zilpha Elaw in Memoirs of the Life, Religious Experience, Ministerial Travels and Labours of Mrs. Zilpha Elaw, An American Female of Colour; Together with Some Account of the Great Religious Revivals in America (Written by Herself) (1846) [reprinted in Sisters of the Spirit]