Entrepreneur. Real estate giant. Abolitionist. These are just a few of the titles Mary Ellen Pleasant held in her lifetime.
Pleasant's early years in Massachusetts are little known other than her marriage to fellow abolitionist James Smith. They helped liberate the formerly enslaved by hosting one of the stops on the Underground Railroad. After his death, Smith left Pleasant a large inheritance.
Pleasant took her fortune to San Francisco during the gold rush in 1852. Not resting on her laurels, she used her inheritance to buy property from San Francisco to Canada. She also opened dozens of businesses, including laundromats and restaurants staffed exclusively by Black people.
Even with her substantial income, Pleasant continued to work for wealthy white families. She gleaned investment strategies that she used to pad her portfolio and further her abolitionist work, including bringing several civil rights suits against California businesses. The money she earned was simply pocket change.
As one of the wealthiest Black women in San Francisco's history, she used every skill she had to grow her fortune and liberate Black lives. Her story reminds us that fortune alone cannot liberate us. We must uplift and support one another.