Bridgett “Biddy” Mason was amazing. In fact, she is one of my favorite people in history. She was born into slavery in 1818. When her enslavers moved to California, they took her with them. California was a free state so Miss Mason sued in court for her freedom and won. In Los Angeles, Miss Mason worked as a nurse and a midwife. She saved her money and was one of the first African Americans to purchase land in that city. Her land investments made her wealthy and she amassed a fortune of $300,000. This was in the 1800s!!!

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“Biddy” Mason was very kind. She often fed and sheltered people who were having a hard time in life. She also visited people in prison. Since there was no elementary school Children of Color were allowed to attend, Miss Mason donated the money to build a school for them. In 1872, Bridgett “Biddy” Mason helped establish the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles. I like this lady. She is one of my role models. Miss “Biddy” Mason was smart, and she took advantage of opportunities. She was kind and she had a spirit of doing what was right.

Does my brown skin make me sad? Oh no, when I look at my brown skin and think of Biddy Mason’s brown skin, I smile.

#theywereamazing