Born
a slave in 1818 Georgia, Biddy Mason ultimately became a free woman
and prominent Angeleno when her owner traveled to California where
slavery was prohibited. Her owner falsely tried to convince her
that an ensuing move to Texas would not imperil her freedom, but
Mason took her case to court, and the judge affirmed that Mason
and all other Blacks were free persons. The ruling was timely; the
very next year, in 1857, the Dred Scott decision would have affirmed
her status as property. A skilled midwife, Mason invested her savings
in real estate, beginning with the house on Spring Street—the
eventual site of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church, which
she helped found, as well as Los Angeles’ first childcare
center. The Park was developed as part of “The Power of Place,”
a project that documented and preserved forgotten and important
sites in Los Angeles. |
