Biddy Mason
(1818-1891)
Mason traveled to Los Angeles with her owner, Robert Smith. and three small daughters. Arriving in 1851, Smith held Biddy and her children illegally in slavery for several years. California had never been a slave state. Biddy petitioned the court and won her freedom and that of her children in 1856. She became an astute financier and property owner. Biddy’s property on what is now Spring Street is at the hub of Los Angeles’s financial and business district. A philanthropist who believed in giving back to her community – she co-founded First African Methodist Episcopal in 1872. She gave freely to many charities and assisted the poor and destitute of all races and ethnicities
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