Black History Month Swansea

An “extraordinary” Swansea woman who fought slavery in the United States is to be honoured by her home city.

Jessie Donaldson operated an Ohio safe house in the 1850s, risking fines and prison by offering shelter to slaves as they tried to escape the southern states to the north of America.

A blue plaque is to be unveiled in her home city during October, the UK’s Black History Month.

She was nominated for the honour by cultural historian Jen Wilson.

Prof Wilson, also from Swansea, has researched Mrs Donaldson’s career over many years at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, and said she had an “extraordinary life of international politics on a grand scale”.

“Her house on the banks of the Ohio river was the third of the Welsh safe houses for runaway slaves,” she said.

“Throughout the American Civil War Jessie worked alongside her friends, enabling fugitives from the plantations across the river to seek freedom.”