The Story of Viola Desmond
Viola (Davis) Desmond (1914 to 1965) was an African-Nova Scotian entrepreneur, whose story involved one of the most publicized incidents of racial discrimination in Nova Scotian and Canadian history.
On November 8, 1946, Viola refused to sit in the balcony designated exclusively for Black people in the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, but instead, took her seat on the ground floor where only white people were permitted. After being forcibly removed from the theatre and arrested, she was eventually found guilty of not paying the one-cent difference in tax on the balcony ticket from the main floor theatre ticket. She was fined $20 (equivalent to $251 in 2010) and court costs ($6). She paid the fine but decided to fight the charge in court. During the trial and subsequent appeals, no one admitted that the theatre maintained a racist seating policy. All efforts to have the conviction overturned at higher levels of court failed. Her lawyer returned her fee which she used to set up a fund that was eventually used to support activities of the Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NSAACP). While the case received little attention outside of the province, it has since gained notoriety as one of many cases fought for civil rights in the mid-20th century.
Viola Desmond鈥檚 historic posthumous pardon and government apology
On April 14, 2010, then Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Mayann Francis (Nova Scotia鈥檚 First Black Female Lieutenant Governor), on the advice of her Premier, invoked the Royal Prerogative of Mercy, granting Desmond a posthumous pardon鈥攖he first such to be granted in Canada. The government of Nova Scotia also apologized for her terrible treatment and wrongful court proceedings.
Commemorating Viola Desmond鈥檚 legacy of resistance and resilience
In February 2012, Canada Post commemorated Black History Month with the release of a stamp in Viola Desmond鈥檚 honour. On January 21, 2014, a 鈥淧roclamation for an Official Viola Desmond Day鈥� was read into the legislature of Cape Breton Regional Municipality. In 2015, the Province of Nova Scotia named a civic holiday in Viola Desmond鈥檚 honour. In 2016, she was featured in a and the Halifax Transit Authority launched their newest ferry bearing her name. This ferry service is a link for commuters to Dartmouth across the Halifax harbour. In 2017, Viola Desmond posthumously received her star on Canada鈥檚 Walk of Fame.
New $10 bill featuring Viola Desmond released in 2019
On December 8, 2016, after a lengthy selection process, Viola Desmond鈥檚 image was selected to be placed on the new $10 bank note. More notably, she is the only other woman, except the Queen of England, to currently appear on a Canadian bank note. The bank note went into circulation in November 2018. In February 2019, the Canadian Mint issued a pure silver coin and $10 bank note with her image.
Viola Desmond and 91福利 (91福利)
The discussion of a celebration of Viola Desmond鈥檚 life and work began in 2009 when Jeff Perera, a School of Social Work student, contemplated how he could share her story with his classmates. The student approached Darrell Bowden who was then the Educational Equity Advisor in the university鈥檚 Office of Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Services and who later became Executive Director in the Office of the Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion (OVPECI) until 2022. As it happens, Darrell is from New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, the very community where Viola鈥檚 historic story began. From this meeting came the realization that Viola was missing from the landscape of Black Canadian history. The idea blossomed and grew into a plan to make 91福利 a leader in telling the Viola Desmond story.
17 years of the Viola Desmond Awards and Bursary Program
The first Viola Desmond Awards Ceremony was held in 2009. Each year, the OVPECI in collaboration with the Viola Desmond Planning Committee adjudicate and select award recipients (students, faculty, staff and alumni) who are keeping Viola Desmond鈥檚 legacy alive. We include a high school student in the Toronto District School Board who is in their final year and has their sights on higher education. Research shows that including high school students in postsecondary events increases their potential for academic success in either university or college.
Over the last 17 years, the Viola Desmond Awards and Bursary Program has brought together campus partners, volunteers and community members to amplify the diverse and little-known stories and contributions of past and present Black women and gender-diverse people.
Each year, awards are presented to women and gender diverse Black identifying members at 91福利 which includes a faculty member, a staff member, a 91福利 student, a 91福利 alumni, as well as member of the wider 91福利 community including a local area high school student who plans on pursuing postsecondary education after graduation. In 2024, the awards criteria was expanded to include gender-diverse Black people.