Yverdon-les-Bains Renames Street to Honor Black Woman Born into Slavery

Yverdon-les-Bains is rewriting its urban DNA to confront a colonial ghost that has haunted its streets for 250 years. In a bold strike against historical amnesia, the municipality has officially moved to rename Rue de l’Ancien-Stand as Rue Pauline-Buisson. This is not merely a change of signage; it is a calculated act of symbolic reparation. Pauline Buisson, a woman born into the horrors of slavery in Saint-Domingue, lived in this town for nearly 50 years—half a century of labor and life—yet she died without a shred of legal or social recognition. Today, Switzerland grapples with its past as Yverdon transforms a domestic worker's invisibility into a permanent landmark. The decision follows a landmark vote by the local legislature to posthumously confer honorary citizenship on Buisson, her son, and her contemporary François Midal, effectively undoing centuries of systemic exclusion with a single, powerful stroke of justice.

The year 1776 marks a dark intersection between Swiss prosperity and colonial exploitation. While the world watched the American Revolution, David-Philippe de Treytorrens, a native of Yverdon, returned from the Caribbean with 'property' in the form of two human beings: Pauline Buisson and François Midal. For decades, the story of these individuals remained buried in the shadows of the de Treytorrens estate. However, meticulous research by historian Catherine Guanzini and the city archives has dragged this narrative back into the light. The archives hold a staggering record of legal proceedings from 1826 to 1835, a rare and exceptional file that details the struggle for existence in a society that profited from colonial ties while denying the humanity of those brought to its shores. This documentation serves as a critical witness to the difficult journey of people of color in 18th-century Switzerland, proving that the nation's history was never as isolated from the slave trade as once believed.

A single illegitimate birth in 1790 sparked a legal battle that would define a family's statelessness for generations. When Pauline Buisson gave birth to her son, Samuel Hypolite Buisson, the Swiss authorities faced a choice: integration or exclusion. They chose the latter. Despite Samuel working as a productive cobbler within the community, the authorities adamantly refused to grant him citizenship or naturalization papers. This denial of status left him and his mother in a precarious, stateless limbo throughout their entire lives. The de Treytorrens family and the municipality clashed for nine years over the legal status of these residents, a dispute captured in a file the city is now publishing in full on its website. By making these records accessible to the public, Yverdon is not just honoring a name; it is exposing the bureaucratic machinery that once enforced social invisibility based on race and origin.

The countdown to October 3, 2026, has begun—a date that will see the official inauguration of Rue Pauline-Buisson on what would have been her son's birthday. This move signals a broader trend as Swiss cities increasingly 'dust off' their colonial pasts to build a more inclusive future. While critics might view this as mere symbolism, the local authorities insist it is a necessary step toward reconciliation. By elevating a domestic worker to the same status as the generals and politicians who typically adorn Swiss street signs, Yverdon is challenging the traditional hierarchy of 'great men' in history. This act of reparation forces a confrontation with the reality that Switzerland’s wealth and social fabric were often woven with threads from the colonial world. As the new signs go up this year, they serve as a permanent reminder that justice, though delayed by 250 years, can no longer be denied.