Jackie Broxton (Photo – biddymason.com)
Pasadena resident Jacqueline “Jackie” Broxton, President and CEO of the Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation (BMCF), has been named a 2025 PBS SoCal Local Hero for her leadership and longstanding commitment to supporting Los Angeles’ current and former foster youth. She is honored alongside Darious Harris, Chief Executive Officer of Never Stop Grinding Impact.
By News Desk
Los Angeles has the largest foster-care population in the nation, and under Broxton’s guidance, BMCF has become a vital resource for young people transitioning out of care. Since 2018, the Foundation has awarded more than $700,000 in academic scholarships, opened pathways to temporary housing for college students, and built support networks for mothers and kinship caregivers, relatives who step in to raise children when parents cannot.
Broxton’s work is rooted in the legacy of Biddy Mason, a formerly enslaved woman who won her freedom in a Los Angeles court in 1862 and went on to become a community pillar known for her generosity. Inspired by Mason’s example, Broxton has dedicated her leadership to expanding opportunities and stability for foster youth across LA County.
“I am deeply honored to receive this recognition from PBS SoCal,” says Broxton. “Biddy Mason, a Los Angeles icon and our organization’s namesake, built her life around lifting others, and that’s the inheritance we’re carrying forward. I’m thrilled that others are turning the spotlight on these incredible young people to give them the access, opportunity, and love that they deserve.”
Through scholarships, resource fairs, and community support groups, Broxton and the Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation continue to strengthen the safety net for some of the region’s most vulnerable young people, work now recognized with one of PBS SoCal’s highest community honors.
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