Feb 14, 2022
Viola Desmond by halifaxnoise
(July 6, 1914 – February 7, 1965)
In November 1946, hair salon owner Viola Desmond went to a film at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. But what began as a night at the movies became a night in prison.
Unaware that the theatre was segregated, the Black Nova Scotian chose a main‐floor seat. When she refused to move to the balcony, where Black patrons were expected to sit, she was arrested and dragged out of the theatre.
For many people, the story would have ended there – but Desmond refused to accept the charges against her, and her case went all the way to Nova Scotia’s Supreme Court.
In late 2018, Desmond became the first Canadian woman to appear alone on a Canadian bank note—a $10 bill.
