Profiles in Black History is a project of our Justice Works Anti-Racism Team. A new profile will be spotlighted every day during Black History Month.
Bridget “Biddy” Mason (1818 - 1891)
Bridget “Biddy” Mason was born into slavery in Georgia in 1818 and was eventually acquired by Robert Marion Smith. In 1848, Smith, a Mormon convert, decided to move West, and Biddy was forced to walk the 1,700 mile journey from Mississippi to Utah. After two years in Utah, Smith agreed to move to California and help establish a Mormon community in San Bernardino. On the journey, Biddy encountered free Black individuals who encouraged her to sue for her freedom upon arrival in California, a state that prohibited slavery. Against the odds, including Smith’s attempt to smuggle Biddy and the others he held in bondage out of state, Biddy’s petition for her freedom was approved, granting freedom to Biddy and 13 members of her extended family in 1856.
Once free, Biddy and her family moved to Los Angeles where Biddy worked as a midwife and nurse. She saved her money and used it to invest in real estate, purchasing land in what is now downtown Los Angeles. Biddy used her wealth for philanthropic work, which included caring for the poor and incarcerated, donating to charities, and establishing First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles.
Learn more about Biddy Mason:
Bridget "Biddy" Mason (U.S. National Park Service) https://www.nps.gov/people/biddymason.htm
Biddy Mason and the Founding of Los Angeles: From Slavery to Entrepreneurship; Feb 7, 2020; by Kenya Davis-Hayes https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-la/biddy-mason-and-the-founding-of-los-angeles-from-slavery-to-entrepreneurship
Los Angeles Conservancy https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/biddy-mason-memorial-park
Rebecca Riley is a writer and filmmaker who lives in North County San Diego.