The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Friday, September 4 to rename Downtown Los Angeles’ Pershing Square in honor of Bridget “Biddy” Mason, the formerly enslaved woman who became one of the city’s most influential early civic leaders, landowners, and philanthropists.
The renaming culminates a campaign championed by historians, the Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation (BMCF), and others. BMCF President and CEO Jackie Broxton attended former Councilmember Kevin de León’s 2024 press conference announcing the proposal and has advocated for the renaming throughout the campaign, including speaking at a recent City Council hearing.
“Biddy Mason’s life and legacy sustain our foundation and provide the inspiration for the work we do within the foster care community,” said Broxton. “Biddy Mason Park should emerge as a space to honor all early Los Angeles groundbreakers and celebrate the diversity of our city.”
The five-acre square is just blocks from places where Mason lived, worked and owned property. Born into slavery in 1818, Mason was brought to California with 12 others and successfully petitioned for their freedom in 1856.
Working as a nurse and midwife, she settled in Los Angeles, ultimately becoming a successful real estate magnate and devoted humanitarian in an era when most Black people could not own land. She co-founded the city’s First African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1872 and provided care and support to impoverished, incarcerated and vulnerable Angelenos, including orphaned children.
Mason’s legacy remains central to BMCF’s mission of supporting current and former foster youth in Los Angeles County. Since 2018, the nonprofit has awarded more than $700,000 in scholarships to hundreds of foster youth, including six who have gone on to earn PhDs.
Broxton, a lifelong Angeleno, has also advocated for greater recognition of Black figures and their contributions to Los Angeles.
“Biddy Mason came to Los Angeles enslaved and forged a new life for herself and her family,” said Broxton. “It’s the truest example of achieving the American Dream.”
About the Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation
The Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation (BMCF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing the legacy of Biddy Mason by serving LA’s current and former foster youth and raising awareness for Black history. BMCF is named in honor of Biddy Mason, a formerly enslaved woman, who became a leading entrepreneur and philanthropist in Los Angeles.
