ON THIS DAY

November 8, 1946 —Businesswoman Viola Desmond made a stand against racial segregation in Nova Scotia. Desmond was in New Glasgow, N.S. and decided to see a film. When the Roseland Theatre box office would not sell Desmond a ticket for a seat on the main floor, which was reserved for whites only, she decided to site there anyway. Desmond was dragged out of the theatre, taken to jail and fined $26. She is the subject of a Heritage Minute released in 2016.