Bridget “Biddy” Mason (Photo – UCLA Digital Archives)
A formerly enslaved woman who sued for her freedom before becoming one of Los Angeles’s first Black female property owners will take center stage at a Pasadena library this month.
Lorinda Hawkins Smith will perform her theatrical presentation about Bridget “Biddy” Mason on Friday, Feb. 20, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at La Pintoresca Branch Library as part of the City of Pasadena’s official Black History Month programming. The free event, recommended for ages five and up, tells the story of a woman whose life spanned from Mississippi slavery to Los Angeles entrepreneurship and philanthropy.
“Lorinda Hawkins Smith’s theatrical presentation brings to life the extraordinary story of Bridget ‘Biddy’ Mason, a formerly enslaved woman who became a nurse, real estate entrepreneur, philanthropist, and a foundational figure in Los Angeles history,” according to the City of Pasadena’s announcement.
Mason was born into slavery in 1818. By 1856, she had won her freedom in what the city describes as “a landmark California court case.”
Smith, an actor from the Pasadena area, has portrayed Mason in the Los Angeles Public Library’s Historical Portrait Project.
Celebrating the Life of Bridget “Biddy” Mason will run on Friday, Feb. 20, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. La Pintoresca Branch Library, 1355 N. Raymond Ave., in Pasadena. For more information, call (626) 744-7268 or visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/library/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D194101106.
