Viola Desmond
Viola Irene Desmond (née Davis), businesswoman and civil rights activist, was born on 6 July 1914 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and died on 7 February 1965 in New York, NY. Desmond built a successful career as a beautician and established the Desmond School of Beauty Culture, mentoring young Black women in Nova Scotia.
In 1946, she challenged racial segregation when she refused to leave the Whites-only section of the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Her arrest and overnight jailing, followed by a conviction on a dubious tax charge without legal representation, became a defining moment in Canada’s civil rights history. Though she was not pardoned in her lifetime, her brave stand inspired future generations.
In 2010, Lieutenant-Governor Mayann Francis issued her a posthumous free pardon. In 2018, Desmond became the first Canadian woman featured alone on a banknote, the $10 bill, and was also named a National Historic Person.
Early Life and Family
Viola Desmond was one of ten siblings in a large and respected Black family in Halifax. Her father, James Albert Davis, worked as a stevedore before becoming a barber. Her mother, Gwendolin Irene Davis (née Johnson), was the daughter of a White minister from Connecticut. Although intermarriage was uncommon, the Davis family was accepted and active in Halifax’s Black community.
Vi's Studio of Beauty Culture
Inspired by her parents’ hard work and community involvement, Desmond sought independence as a businesswoman. After briefly teaching at racially segregated schools, she enrolled at the Field Beauty Culture School in Montreal, one of the few schools that accepted Black students. She continued her studies in Atlantic City and New York before returning to Halifax to open Vi’s Studio of Beauty Culture, catering to the Black community.
Entrepreneur and Community Leader
In the early 20th century, beauty parlours were a rare avenue of opportunity for Black women, offering not only employment but also leadership roles in the community. Desmond opened the Desmond School of Beauty Culture, training women from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Quebec. Her students graduated with valuable skills, and some sold her line of beauty products through their own businesses.
Desmond’s mission extended beyond profit—her school was a community effort to help young Black women gain employment and financial independence. As many as 15 students graduated each year.
Racial Discrimination in Canada
Though Canada had no official segregation laws, Black Canadians faced systemic and informal discrimination, especially in Nova Scotia. Often subtle and unwritten, the "customs" of racial segregation were hard to challenge. In 1943, Hugh Burnett was denied service in a Dresden, Ontario restaurant while wearing his army uniform. The federal government responded by saying there was no law against such discrimination.
The Roseland Theatre Incident
On 8 November 1946, Desmond’s car broke down in New Glasgow. While waiting for repairs, she decided to see a movie at the Roseland Theatre. She bought a ticket for the main floor but was given a balcony seat—the section typically reserved for Black patrons.
When she entered the main floor, staff told her to move. After attempting to exchange her ticket and being refused, Desmond realized this was due to her race. She sat down anyway.
The theatre manager, Henry MacNeil, confronted her and called the police when she refused to leave. Desmond was dragged out of the theatre, injuring her hip and knee, and spent the night in jail. She sat upright all night, maintaining her composure despite fear and shock.
Trial and Conviction
Desmond was charged the next morning with tax evasion—specifically, not paying a one-cent difference in tax between balcony and main floor tickets. Despite her willingness to pay the difference and being refused by the cashier, she was fined $26, $6 of which went to the theatre manager, who was named the prosecutor in court.
She had no legal counsel, no opportunity to defend herself, and no mention of race was made during the proceedings, although it was clear her only “offence” was sitting in a White-designated section.
Community Support and Legal Efforts
Desmond’s husband, Jack Desmond, had grown up in New Glasgow and was not surprised by the theatre’s actions. While he advised prayer, others took action. The Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NSAACP) raised money for her appeal. Carrie Best, founder of The Clarion, a Black-owned newspaper, championed Desmond’s case. Best had faced a similar situation at the same theatre years earlier.
Desmond hired lawyer Frederick Bissett, who chose not to challenge racial discrimination in court due to legal ambiguity. Instead, he filed a civil suit alleging assault and false imprisonment. The suit was dismissed. An appeal to the Nova Scotia Supreme Court was also unsuccessful due to missed filing deadlines.
Long-Term Impact
Although Desmond's case did not bring immediate legal changes, it revealed the courage and resilience of Nova Scotia’s Black community. Her resistance, coupled with the NSAACP’s activism and Best’s journalism, helped lay the groundwork for change. In 1954, segregation was officially ended in Nova Scotia.
Desmond eventually left her business, her marriage ended, and she moved to Montreal, then New York City, where she died in 1965.
Legacy
Viola Desmond’s story was largely forgotten until the early 2000s, when her sister Wanda Robson brought it to light. In 2003, Robson enrolled in a race relations course at Cape Breton University and worked with professor Graham Reynolds to share Viola’s story. Robson later published Sister to Courage (2010), a biography of her sister.
In April 2010, Nova Scotia issued a formal apology and granted Desmond a free pardon. The province acknowledged her conviction was a miscarriage of justice. The same year, Cape Breton University established the Viola Desmond Chair in Social Justice, and Canada Post issued a commemorative stamp in her honor.
In 2016, a Heritage Minute was released, and in 2018, the $10 banknote featuring Desmond was unveiled — the first to feature a Canadian woman alone and the first vertical Canadian bill. The back of the note includes a map of Halifax’s North End and a quote from the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Continued Honors
Desmond was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2017. In 2018, she was officially declared a National Historic Person. A Google Doodle honored her on her 104th birthday, and in 2019, the Royal Canadian Mint released a silver coin in her memory. That same year, her $10 banknote won the Banknote of the Year Award.
In 2021, the Nova Scotia government reimbursed the adjusted amount of Desmond’s original fine to Wanda Robson, who used the $1,000 to create a scholarship at Cape Breton University, furthering her sister’s legacy of empowerment and justice.
SOURCE: The Canadian Encyclopedia