Should the State of California align with our Title 5 US Federal Juneteenth Holiday?

The Landmark Court Case for freedom of Bridget "Biddy" Mason is quite possibly the methodology needed in the Governors Office to establish Juneteeenth as a paid holiday throughout the Great State of California.

Reportedly born enslaved in Georgia, Bridget “Biddy” Mason was bought and sold many times before her Mississippi slavemaster decided to head to California. After many trials and tribulations she and her family eventually won her freedom in a landmark court case.

Biddy Mason vast legacy throughout the Great State of California continues to inspire and motivate many who pause to really understand her Journey From Slavery to Freedom.

Biddy Mason was enslaved by Robert and Rebecca Smith, Mississippi slaveholders who had joined the Mormon Church of Latter Day Saints Caravan migration to the Utah Territory with 30-40 enslaved people of Pan African/Indigenous Ancestry

The Smiths eventually took Biddy Mason and her three children breed by her owners to San Bernardino County in California.

While California was legally a “free state,” Smith continued to hold them captive as "property." Mason and her children were befriended by "free blacks" who alerted the Los Angeles Sheriff when the Smiths made plans to take Biddy, her daughters and several other enslaved folks back South.

Judge Benjamin Hayes circumvented the laws against Black people testifying in court against whites by interviewing Mason in his chambers. In private chambers, Biddy Mason shared her story and desire not to go back South with the Smiths. Her character and reputation served her well.

As a result, in 1856, Hayes ruled that Mason, her children and many more were “free forever.”

Biddy Mason became a doctor’s assistant and ran many businesses in what today Downtown Los Angeles. Mason used her wealth to establish community institutions. She also co-founded and financed the First African Methodist Episcopal (FAME) Church.