Viola Desmond-What You Need To Know

Hello Roses,
Apologies for the delay in blog posting, but we’re back this week with a very interesting post. Most of you have probably heard of Viola Desmond by now (she is going to be on our $10 bill), so we thought it was about time we did a post on her. Viola Desmond paved a path then, she is paving one now, and following in her steps it’s up to us now to pave a path.

Today’s post will be done in a bit of a different format. Instead of paragraphs of information we’re going to give you some fast facts on this Canadian feminist icon. We also highly encourage you to dig deeper and do research of your own! You may be surprised by what you find.

Without further ado let’s dig in:

Fact #1
Viola Desmond stood up to Nova Scotia’s segregation laws 9 years prior to when Rosa Parks refused to sit in the back of the bus. Rosa Parks was eventually titled as the “first lady” of the civil rights movement.
Fact # 2
Viola was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia where she was a teacher in a segregated (racially) school. She taught all black students. She then started a hairdresser salon called “Vi’s Studio of Beauty Culture” (an epic name for an epic business). She later went on to start a beauty academy for black people who were not allowed in “traditional” beauty schools. She expanded her business throughout the province.
Fact #3
The moment which led Viola Desmond down a path few travel, and for which we will be forever grateful, was completely by chance. Viola was actually on her way to a business meeting on November 08 1946 when her car broke down. While the garage repaired her car she decided to go to the nearby theatre to catch a film. Upon entering, well we know the rest.
Fact # 4
Viola Desmond was fined $20 CAD (which in 2018 is approx. $274.85 CAD) and sentenced 30 days in jail. All for speaking up. BONUS: She was also accused of defrauding the provincial government for the tax difference between the white-only ground floor (with the better view and seating) vs. the black/POC balcony level. The difference was only one cent.

<Insert eye roll and exasperation>

​Fact # 5
Viola spent the night in jail, but did not lie down once. She stayed upright and kept her white gloves on the entire time. White gloves were, and to this day are, seen as a sign of sophistication.

There you have it roses. What an incredible woman Viola Desmond was. She passed away on February 07 in 1965 in New York while on a visit due to gastrointestinal bleeding. Her movement all started with her simply asking for a ticket to the ground floor of the theatre, the theatre refusing out of its twisted sense of race and segregation, and ended with a black woman becoming the first woman (besides the Queen) to be on Canadian currency. It took 64 years to clear her name, starting in 1946 that journey ended in 2010 when she was given a posthumous royal prerogative mercy; which stated her innocence and also states the conviction was in error.

We hope you enjoyed learning about this extraordinary human as much as we did. We also hope you continue learning about her and the many more Canadian feminist icons. If you have anyone in particular you would like us to check out leave a comment below, or on one of our social media. Until next time!

Signed,
RebelRoses
https://www.chatelaine.com/news/viola-desmond-facts/
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/5-interesting-facts-viola-desmond-115231846.html
https://www.we.org/stories/viola-desmond-to-become-face-of-canadas-10-bill/
https://www.mheducation.ca/blog/black-history-month-in-canada-viola-desmond-facts-accomplishments/
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/viola-desmond/

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