Danette O'Neal, PhD

  
Born a slave in 1818 Bridget “Biddy” Mason became a very successful entrepreneur and philanthropist. In 1847, Mason’s owner decided to move his family to the Utah Territory and then in 1851 to California. It is believed he did not realize that California had been admitted into the Union as a free state in 1850. After petitioning the courts in 1856, Mason won freedom for herself and her daughters. She moved her family to L.A. and worked as a midwife and a nurse. After working for ten years Mason was able to buy a plot of land for $250, becoming one of the first African American women to own land in L.A. Almost 20 years later Mason sold the plot for $1500. Working in real estate Mason was able to help provide for much of L.A.’s African American community. She was also one of the founders of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in L.A. #womenshistory