objects , the wall carries a timeline of Biddy Mason ’ s life as an enslaved person in Mississippi to her life as a successful real estate entrepreneur in Los Angeles towards the end of the 19th century . Regardless of her contributions , the wall ’ s beautiful simplicity is overshadowed by its placement in a narrow corridor between commercial buildings and a parking structure — a stark contrast to the prominent vantage point Serra still holds even after his statue was publicly defaced and reviled .
Though the wall is placed in a geographically relevant location on the original site of the Mason homestead , the surrounding area holds few visible signs leading to the memorial as opposed to the ones leading to Father Serra Park and other colonial monuments . Lessened accessibility is what makes the difference between visiting one of the memorials on a school trip , stopping by on your commute , or being included in a tour itinerary of Downtown . The surrounding area , thus , gives visitors the first impression of who the historical figures were and how relevant they continue to be . Walking towards the grandiose Serra mount versus the unforgiving shadow and smog from the neighboring parking structure above Mason ’ s portrait , visitors get a clear indication of what historical narrative receives heightened institutional support .
Inspecting the segments of the wall , I discovered the gradual transformation of the city through much of the 19th century within the context of Mason ’ s life starting from 1810 on the north side . The timeline begins with demographic information about the history of Mexicans and Americans of African descent within the city rather than with Mason ’ s own birth . Mason first appears 26 years into her own timeline with the following plaque .
1836 . Engraved on a gold plaque , Mason is placed in the greater context of slavery as an 18 year-old who became the property of the plantation-owning Smith family from Mississippi that year . This plaque is found under “ She learns midwifery ” and next to the external molds of medical instruments used by midwives . This panel of the timeline serves as a powerful transition from Mason ’ s early life as property to an independent and influential figure in her new community . After 10 years of wages she is able to buy the former homestead I found myself standing in , with a copy of the property deed engraved to the side . The plaques become their most legible and defined when we get closer to her legacy in the city : her grandsons ’ commercial ventures , her activism , her philanthropy towards Angelenos made homeless by seasonal floods , and finally for her role in organizing the First African Methodist Episcopal ( F . A . M . E .) Church in 1872 . The end of the memorial on the south side ends in 1900 before it opens up to the rest of the park leading to the main streets of the 21st century .
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Observing Memories ISSUE 4