Newsletter Comic for a Historic Property
![Viola Davis Desmond was an entrepreneur and civil rights icon from LG
Halifax, Nova Scotia. She opened a salon in Halifax, as well her own
beauty school! She famously stood up for her own rights, and those
o} all African-Canadians, when she refused to move to the
segregated section of the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow in 194-6,
Viola Davis Desmond was born in the North End of Halifax in 1914.
She was one of ten children! Her dream was to work as a beautician
and one day to open her own beauty school. Her dream was difficult
to achieve because at that time beauty schools in Nova Scotia did
not accept Black students. Desmond had to go to school in Montreal NZ RE
and in the United States. She returned to Halifax and opened her 7 Espray he
own salon - Vis Salon - in 1937, and then her own school - the > Ean |
Desmond School of Beauty Culture! Her school was the first in : Wa
Halifax to provide young Black women the skills to become Vota BER
SLL WE Et s
~_ ah
successful entrepreneurs. She also sold her own beauty products. Sst
LA
Officially, she was put in jail for the
crime of “avoiding the one cent
amusement tax to sit in the lower
section of the theatre”. She had
been willing to pay the tax, but the
theatre staff told her it was against
their policy to let her sit on the
main floor. Police were called, and
when she wouldnt move herself, she
was violently dragged out of the
theatre, injuring her knee and hip.
She stayed up all night in protest.
On the way to Cape Breton, her car broke down in New
Glasgow. It was going to take a day to fix the car, so
Desmond decided to see a movie at the Roseland Theatre.
She wanted to sit in the lower section of the theatre,
which was intended for white customers only. When
Desmond refused to move to the balcony she was forcibly
thrown out and locked in jail overnight.
WE ; Rly
Desmond saw the lack of beauty products for Black
women, and created her own line. She would deliver
her products all across the province in her car. In
1946 she travelled to Cape Breton on business.
————eemnnne =
During her trial, there was no mention of
the fact that she had really been thrown
out because of her skin colour. Desmond
was found guilty of tax evasion of one cent,
and was fined $26! Desmond was extremely
upset after this incident, and with the
support of her community, she fought the
charge, bringing it to the Supreme Court of
Nova Scotia, though she was unsuccessful.
The racial discrimination that
Desmond experienced would
understandly continue to
bother her. Despite efforts by
her and her community, she
would not see justice in her
lifetime. Eventually she moved
to New York City, where
Desmond had studied.
Desmond$s story is one of the most publicized
cases of racial discrimination in Canadian RN )
history. Her refusal to accept an act of racial discrimination still oceurs
discrimination inspired the Canadian civil rights [fj 9¢7°SS our country. Viola
movement and led to the removal of Desmond$ fight carries on
segregation laws in Nova Scotia in 1954. In riants woven for weal] y
2010, she was finally pardoned of her that she helped inspire is
Viola Davis Desmond was not the first Black Nova [ff actions challenged racial discrimination. In orang ede
Scotian to face racial discrimination, and was not 2018, she was recognized as a National Historic
the last. Although there was much outrage and | Person, and she also became the first Canadian
publicity about the incident in the Black
commmunity of Halifax, the province as a whole
turned a blind eye. Her case would not get
widespread attention until after Desmond death.
woman to be featured alone on Canadian
currency - the ten dollar bill. There is a ferry
in Halifax named in her honor, among other
memorializations of her legacy.](https://contents.bebee.com/users/id/rbTZe65357ac1a121f/post/1Eo8E6539c11d51253/rpwDY.png)
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