Black Canadian business woman and activist (1914–1965)
Viola Desmond
Desmond c.1940
Born
Viola Irene Davis
(1914-07-06)July 6, 1914
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Died
February 7, 1965(1965-02-07) (aged 50)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Resting place
Camp Hill Cemetery, Halifax
Occupation(s)
Business owner and beautician
Criminal status
Convicted (pardoned April 15, 2010; 14 years ago (2010-04-15))[1]
Spouse
Jack Desmond
Conviction(s)
Tax evasion under s. 8(8) of the Theatres, Cinematographs, and Amusements Act, R.S.N.S., 1923, c. 162[1]
Criminal penalty
Fine and court costs amounting to $26 (reversed by free pardon[2])
Date apprehended
November 8, 1946; 77 years ago (1946-11-08)
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2010
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Viola Irene Desmond (July 6, 1914 – February 7, 1965) was a Canadian civil and women's rights activist and businesswoman of Black Nova Scotian descent. In 1946, she challenged racial segregation at a cinema in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, by refusing to leave a whites-only area of the Roseland Theatre. For this, she was convicted of a minor tax violation for the one-cent tax difference between the seat that she had paid for and the seat that she used, which was more expensive. Desmond's case is one of the most publicized incidents of racial discrimination in Canadian history and helped start the modern civil rights movement in Canada.[3]
In 2010, Desmond was granted a posthumous free pardon, the first to be granted in Canada.[4][5] A free pardon deems the person granted the pardon to have never committed the offence and cancels any consequence resulting from the conviction, such as fines, prohibitions or forfeitures.[6] However, it was not until 2021 that the government repaid the $26 (worth $368 CAD as of 2021) fine to her estate in the form of a $1,000 scholarship that adjusted the amount to reflect the time value of money.[2] The Crown-in-Right-of-Nova Scotia also apologized for prosecuting her for tax evasion and acknowledged she was rightfully resisting racial discrimination.[7]
In late 2018, Desmond became the first Canadian-born woman to appear alone on a Canadian bank note—a $10 bill—which was unveiled by Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz during a ceremony at the Halifax Central Library on March 8, 2018.[8][9] Desmond was also named a National Historic Person in 2018.[10]
^ ab"Grant of Free Pardon VIOLA IRENE DAVIS DESMOND" (PDF). Government of Nova Scotia. April 15, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
^ abCite error: The named reference repay was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cape Breton University (November 21, 2019). "Viola Desmond Chair in Social Justice Brochure" (PDF).
^Carlson, Kathryn Blaze (April 14, 2010). "'Canada's Rosa Parks,' Viola Desmond, posthumously pardoned". National Post. Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
^"Late Viola Desmond Granted Apology, Free Pardon". NovaScotia, Canada. April 15, 2010. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
^"What are the different types of clemency?". Government of Canada. September 18, 2015.
^"N.S. apologizes for 1946 conviction". Winnipeg Sun. April 15, 2010. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
^Harris, Kathleen (December 8, 2016). "Black rights activist Viola Desmond to be 1st Canadian woman on $10 bill". cbcnews.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
^Peter Goffin (December 8, 2016). "Civil rights pioneer Viola Desmond will appear on new Canadian $10 bill". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
^Government of Canada Announces New National Historic Designations Archived January 19, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, Parks Canada press release, January 12, 2018.
Viola Irene Desmond (July 6, 1914 – February 7, 1965) was a Canadian civil and women's rights activist and businesswoman of Black Nova Scotian descent...
harm done to Black Nova Scotians, such as the Africville Apology, the ViolaDesmond Pardon, the restorative justice initiative for the Nova Scotia Home...
Smallville, and Reaper. On 2 February 2016, Historica Canada featured ViolaDesmond in the 82nd Heritage Minute, to mark the beginning of Black History...
of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, Canada. He is mostly known as ViolaDesmond's lawyer. Bissett's parents moved from St. John's, Newfoundland Colony...
which also prints the banknotes. The first note, the $10 bill featuring ViolaDesmond, was revealed on International Women's Day, 8 March 2018, and was released...
Canada and the Bank of Canada announced that civil rights activist ViolaDesmond would replace John A. Macdonald (who had been on the face of the $10...
Canadian $10 bill featuring a portrait of Canadian civil rights pioneer ViolaDesmond is presented in a vertical format. The Northern Irish £5 and £10 notes...
activist. Robson became an activist when her sister, civil rights activist ViolaDesmond, was arrested in 1946. Robson spent years working to get her sister's...
ViolaDesmond, a black woman, refused to leave the segregated whites-only section of the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. ViolaDesmond was...
Fox's inspirational run. February 2016 saw the release of a "Minute" on ViolaDesmond, a trailblazing black female entrepreneur from Halifax who spoke out...
The Halton District School Board serves public school students throughout Halton Region, including the municipalities of Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton...
branches.: 81 In 1947, the Association successfully took the case of ViolaDesmond to the Supreme Court of Canada: 93 It also pressured the Children's...
the racism of the United States, citing the discrimination against ViolaDesmond. Nurse told The Canadian Press in November that her social media commentary...
Collins (1774–1871), privateer, merchant, banker Henry Hezekiah Cogswell ViolaDesmond (1914–1965), civil rights activist, beautician James De Mille (1833–1880)...
gender-based budget and introduced a banknote featuring civil-rights activist ViolaDesmond, making it Canada's first circulation banknote to feature a Canadian...
excellence." Desmond is related to ViolaDesmond, a Canadian civil rights activist.[citation needed] He was raised Catholic. "Ian Desmond Stats, Bio, Photos...
Hazzard, and Thomas Page. Carrie Best, journalist and social activist ViolaDesmond, businesswoman and civil rights advocate Burnley "Rocky" Jones, political...
2018). "'Our family will go down in history': Desmond's sister moved by new $10 bill". CTVNews. "ViolaDesmond | Historica Canada". www.historicacanada.ca...
Scotia, presented Davis with an honorary degree during the inaugural ViolaDesmond Legacy Lecture, as part of the institution's bicentennial celebration...
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