Taking a stand: the story of Viola Desmond
February is dedicated to recognizing and emphasizing the contributions black Canadians have made to the cultural development of our country. There was a time, however, when these contributions went widely unrecognized and black Canadians didn’t have the same civil liberties that others have historically taken for granted. In 2017, Viola Desmond, a black Nova Scotian businesswoman, was featured on the poster to promote Black History Month in Canada. Since 2018, she has been depicted on the $10 bill. She’s hailed as being the Canadian Rosa Parks, despite the fact that her fight for civil rights occurred nine years prior.
SHAPING CANADIAN HISTORY
It was 1946 and segregation was still alive in Canada. Desmond bought a movie ticket at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow and decided to sit on the ground floor instead of the balcony. Since the ground floor was reserved for white patrons only, she was asked to leave. Upon her refusal, she was arrested and jailed immediately. She was fined $26 and sentenced to 30 days in jail. Desmond’s fight against the judge’s ruling brought widespread attention to the continued racial injustices faced by black Canadians across the country. Her case eventually went to the Supreme Court, where it was promptly thrown out, upholding the judge’s original decision. Although justice was only served long after her death — the premier of Nova Scotia granted her a posthumous pardon in 2010 —Desmond’s fight was instrumental in the dismantling of Nova Scotia’s outdated laws regarding racial segregation.