By Darlene Donloe
Contributing Writer
LOS ANGELES — More than 100 former and current foster care youth are expected to attend the Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation Foster Youth Resource Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 10 at the Autry Museum of the American West.
The free event, which started in 2014, provides high school and college-age foster youth with access to resources for education, employment, clothing, hygiene products and more.
The event will include exhibitors and representatives from colleges, universities and community-based agencies to provide support.
There also will be a drawing for tablets, gift cards and tickets to the zoo.
“This event is designed for current and foster youth and kinship families,” said Jackie Broxton, CEO and president of the Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation. “Everything is designed with them in mind. They will have a chance to talk to exhibitors and college representatives. We bring different agencies to a central location where kids can come and get the information they need.”
Since 2018, when the organization started awarding scholarships, Broxton said the organization has given away $600,000 to help current and former foster youth. The scholarships, which can range up to $3,000, are renewable, and there is no age limit for applicants.
“We are passionate about education,” Broxton said. “We want to help them advance by pursuing college or vocational education.”
The foundation, launched in 2013 as a ministry of LA’s First AME Church, aims to support foster youth in Los Angeles County. More than 30,000 youths in foster care face limited access to resources, education and supportive relationships.
“There are so many kids in the system,” said Broxton, who, for 16 years, worked as the director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving at Hillsides, a Pasadena-based residential mental health treatment facility for kids and teens. “L.A. County has the largest foster care population in the nation. There is a real need. The kids in the system face considerable hurdles and often lack the resources they need to get ahead in life.”
Today, the organization serves hundreds of youth and families in Los Angeles.
“We have grown,” Broxton said. “At one point, we were operating out of my garage. Now, we have a permanent address and can help more kids.”
While working at Hillsides, Broxton said she often wondered what would happen to the children once they left the facility.
“I remember vividly a Hispanic girl and a Black girl sitting on a bench together,” Broxton said. “The Black girl was longingly stroking the Hispanic girl’s long, straight hair as if hers was lesser. It was at that moment that I realized that she had a feeling of not being worthy because she didn’t have the same kind of hair. For some reason, that moment hit me. That’s the moment I decided to do something.”
Soon thereafter, Broxton said she and some community members came together to launch the Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation.
The foundation is named after Biddy Mason, a formerly enslaved woman who won her freedom and devoted her life to uplifting others.
“The first thing people see when they come through our doors is Biddy Mason’s life story on the wall,” Broxton said. “That’s when the kids normally ask questions about her. We explain how important she was. We explain that she was an orphan herself who took in children who didn’t have parents. Naming the foundation after her is a way to give her the credit she deserves.”
Inspired by Mason’s legacy, the foundation offers various programs and services, including scholarships for current and former foster youth pursuing undergraduate, postgraduate, or vocational education.
On the fourth Friday of each month, the program We Are Kin supports grandmothers and other family members caring for children.
On the third Saturday of the month, there is the program Mingling Mothers, a support group for girls who are mothers but have a history of foster care.
There is also short-term, residential support and affordable housing for college-age women who have experienced foster care.
“Sometimes we assist with housing,” Broxton said. “We can handle four female students at a time. They have to attend school and agree to therapy once a week.”
The Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation is committed to educating the public on the intersection of history and support for foster youth. By providing resources and promoting awareness, the foundation works to help foster youth succeed and heal through understanding their past.
Broxton said that one of the foundation’s unique elements is the incorporation of Black history into its programming.
“We support everyone from all backgrounds,” Broxton said. “But we want to emphasize the history of Black and brown individuals. Some of our African American kids don’t know their ethnic history. Everyone should know their history. Our niche is history. So, we educate them.
“We believe knowing your past helps shape your future,” Broxton added. “It enhances someone’s sense of belonging. So we fill the house with lots of information on historical figures. We are excited about going to the Autry. It supports our interest in history.”
In addition to its programming, each year, the Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation hosts an annual Thanksgiving Dinner, providing a meal, fun activities and giveaways for foster youth and kinship families.
“It’s a very popular event,” Broxton said. “Our kids look forward to it. So do we. It’s a great time for fellowship.”
Broxton said the public should know that many smart, bright and talented young people are in the foster care system.
“They should not be overlooked,” she said. They have a lot to offer.”
Darlene Donloe is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers who covers South Los Angeles. She can be reached at ddonloe@gmail.com.
