02/02/2023
Bridget “Biddy” Mason was illegally enslaved in California in the early 1850s. When her enslavers attempted to take her and her family out of state, Mason’s friends helped her fight back. Black people could not testify against Whites in court, the Judge spoke to her in his chambers. Judge Hayes ruled that Mason and 13 others were “entitled to their freedom and are free forever.”
Mason’s family moved to Los Angeles where she became a nurse and midwife, tending to people of all races and backgrounds. Mason had purchased several properties, including a commercial building. She used her earnings to help build schools, hospitals, and churches. Eventually, she became one of the wealthiest women in Los Angeles with a fortune that reached almost $300,000, or $9M in 2022 dollars.
In 1989, the city of Los Angeles memorialized her with a small park behind the Bradbury Building near Third and Spring.
Learn more about Biddy Mason’s incredible life and achievements at biddymason.info.
