Rev. William Seymour in Front of the Church

Rev. William Seymour in Front of the Church

Biddy Mason was Los Angeles’s first philanthropist. Born a slave on a Mississippi plantation in 1818, Mason’s life was fraught with hardships, but her driven spirit led to gaining her freedom and relocating to Los Angeles in 1856. Within ten years of working as a midwife, Mason saved enough money to purchase property on Spring Street for $250, thereby becoming one of the first African-American women to own land in Los Angeles. Mason sold part of the property in 1884 for $1,500, and over the years, her wise business and real estate transactions enabled her to accumulate a fortune of almost $300,000. Becoming the first philanthropist in Los Angeles, Mason gave generously to charities, visited jail inmates, and provided food and shelter for the poor of all races. Her faith fueled her philanthropy, and within one of her properties, 312 Azusa Street, a global spiritual movement began.

In April of 1906, African American preacher William J. Seymour preached his first sermon at 312 Azusa Street and the Azusa Street Revival began. From 1906 to 1909 at this site, Seymour preached peaceful co-existence and charismata (gifts of the Spirit), giving birth to the Pentecostal movement which currently has over 500 million followers worldwide. In addition, Mason’s generosity gave birth to the church now called the First African Methodist Episcopal Church. Beginning as a bible study at Mason’s home on Spring Street in 1872, the congregation continued to grow and relocated within downtown Los Angeles, using 312 Azusa Street from 1872 to 1888 and currently located seven miles away at 2270 South Harvard Boulevard. First African Methodist Episcopal Church has continued Mason’s mission, being the “first to serve” and providing social services to downtown communities.