On this day in 1856

Jan. 19, 1856

Mississippi native Bridget “Biddy” Mason successfully sought freedom from slavery for herself and her family in a landmark court case. Credit: Wikipedia

Mississippi native Bridget “Biddy” Mason, who was enslaved with her family of 13, successfully sought their freedom in a landmark court case. 

In 1847, she and her family were forced to travel West with Robert Smith, a slaveholder who joined the Mormon migration to Utah. She walked 1,700 miles behind a 300-wagon caravan that ended up in the Salt Lake Valley and had the responsibility for setting up and breaking camp for her slaveholder. 

She also cooked meals, herded cattle, served as a midwife and took care of her three daughters, 10, 4 and a newborn. Three years later, Smith ignored Mormon leader Brigham Young’s warning that slavery was illegal in California and headed for the Golden State anyway. Out of fear he would lose their services, Smith decided to send them to Texas, but a sheriff’s posse intercepted them before they could leave the state. 

After spending five years still enslaved, Mason fought back and sued for her freedom in court. Although state law barred people of color from testifying, Los Angeles District Judge Benjamin Hayes listened to her story. Days later, Hayes ruled in her favor, citing the state’s constitutional prohibition of slavery. 

Mason worked with a doctor and became a savvy businesswoman. She bought land and organized what is believed to be the first Black church in Los Angeles, the First A.M.E. Church. She became known as “Grandma” Mason, and by the time she died in 1891, she had used her wealth, estimated to be $10 million in modern dollars, to aid charities, shelter the impoverished, visit the prisoners and start an elementary school for Black children. 

“If you hold your hand closed,” she said, “nothing good can come in. The open hand is blessed, for it fgives in abundance even as it receives.” 

The city of Los Angeles now features Biddy Mason Memorial Park, which celebrates her life.

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