Born: 1928, South Africa (assumed)
Died: 1999
Country most active: South Africa
Also known as: NA
South African trade unionist Christina “Chrissie” Jasson worked as a clerk and was part of the Port Elizabeth trade union movements. She led several strikes and organized workers from the textiles and food and canning industries, and served as acting secretary of the Eastern Cape Action Committee from 1954 to 1955. She was part of the founding of the South African Congress of Trade Unions (Sactu), attending the conference that established the organization as a delegate of the Textile Workers Industrial Union, and was elected to the national executive committee. She had also been elected to the national executive committee of the Federation of South African Women when it was established in 1954.
Jasson was also one of the 156 defendants in the years-long Treason Trial that began in 1956 as a way to harass anti-apartheid campaigners and other activists. None of the defendants were found guilty, and the charges against Jasson were withdrawn. She was pregnant when she was arrested, and her daughter was born during the trial.
This entry is based on information from the following article: https://mg.co.za/article/2016-08-25-60-iconic-women-the-people-behind-the-1956-womens-march-to-pretoria/