Viola Desmond (1914 – 1965)

Viola Desmond was a Nova Scotia businesswoman and civil rights advocate. A former teacher turned cosmetologist; she did not set out to become an activist. In 1946, while waiting for her car to be repaired in New Glasgow, Desmond went to a movie theatre and inadvertently sat in a "whites only" section. When she was ordered to leave, she refused and was forcefully arrested, fined and locked in a jail cell for the night. Her courageous act showed the realities of racism in Canada. Desmond devoted the rest of her life to fighting racism and injustice. She was issued a posthumous pardon by the Nova Scotia government in 2010 and in 2016 became the first Canadian woman to be depicted on a Canadian banknote.

“It was in the ’40s, she had her own business, she bought a car, was taught how to drive, these were things that were foreign to most women. But a black woman owning her own business and making a good living – better than good – that was definitely unique. She was one of a kind, I’d say, at that time.” (Wanda Robson, sister of Viola Desmond)