Viola Desmond

 

I got this $10 Canadian Bill for my Birthday this year.

On it is Viola Desmond.

Viola Desmond was born on July 6, 1914 in Halifax, New Brunswick, Canada. One of 10 Children.

Because she was Black Desmond was not allowed to train to become a Beautician in Halifax, so she left and received Beautician Training in Montreal (Canada) Atlantic City (USA), and one of Madam C. J. Walker's Beauty Schools in New York (USA.)

Upon finishing her training, Desmond returned to Halifax to start her own Hair Salon called Vi's Studio of Beauty Culture. Her Clients included Gwen Jenkins, later the first Black Nurse in Nova Scotia.

In addition to the Salon, Desmond opened The Desmond School of Beauty Culture so that Canadian Black Women would not have to travel as far as she had to to receive proper training.

Each year 15 Black Women graduated from her School and opened Salons of their own across Canada.

On November 8, 1946 Desmond challenged the Racial Segregation Policy of a Movie Theater in New Glasgow, New Brunswick, Canada by refusing to leave the Whites-Only area.

At the time, every Canadian Province and Territory allowed for the Segregation of Blacks and Whites as long as there were no public signs (like in the Jim Crow American South,)

Desmond was arrested and convicted of a Minor-Tax Violation for the 1 Cent Tax Difference between the seat that she had paid (in the Blacks-Only Section) for the seat she used (in the Whites-Only Section) and forced to pay a $26 Dollar Fine ($446 Dollars today.)

Desmond decided to fight her arrest, the fine and the Segregation.

Her story was printed by Carrie Best in the first Edition of The Clarion, the first Black-owned and published Nova Scotia Newspaper.

She lost the case, but the Provincial Segregation Policies became widely known throughout Canada.

She left Nova Scotia and went first to Montral, Quebec, Canada and eventually to New York City, New York, USA.

She died on February 7, 1965 at 50 years old.

In 2010, Desmond was granted a Posthumous Free Pardon  - the first in Canada.

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.

It was not until 2021 that the Government of Nova Scotia repaid the $26 Fine ($446 in 2024) to her Estate.

The Crown-in-Right-of-Nova Scotia also apologized for prosecuting her for Tax Evasion and acknowledged she was rightfully resisting Racial Discrimination.

In 2018, Desmond became the First Canadian-Born Woman to appear alone on a Canadian Bank Note.