Mary Ellen Pleasant was an abolitionist, an entrepreneur, a financier, and the woman history tried its hardest to forget. Born into slavery, she became one of the wealthiest and most influential figures in Gold Rush-era California - funding John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry and building a network of support for freedom seekers on the West Coast. This episode reclaims her story in full. If you've never heard of the 'Mother of Civil Rights in California,' that's exactly the problem Sordid SF is here to fix.
