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Viola Desmond Impact On Society

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Viola Desmond Viola Desmond, a Canadian businesswoman and civil rights activist, is widely recognized for her pivotal role in challenging racial segregation in Canada during the mid-20th century. Despite facing discrimination and injustice, Desmond's courageous act of defiance has left an indelible mark on the fight for racial equality. This essay will explore the life and legacy of Viola Desmond, highlighting her impact on Canadian society and her enduring status as a symbol of resistance. Viola Desmond was born on July 6, 1914, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, to James Albert and Gwendolin Irene Davis. Growing up in a middle-class African Nova Scotian family, Desmond faced racial discrimination from an early age. However, her parents instilled in …show more content…

The Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NSAACP) organized protests and launched a public awareness campaign to challenge racial segregation. Their efforts eventually led to the repeal of segregation laws in Nova Scotia in 1954, a significant step towards racial equality in Canada. Viola Desmond's legacy extends far beyond her legal battle. In 2010, nearly fifty years after her death, the Government of Nova Scotia posthumously pardoned her, recognizing the injustice she faced and the enduring significance of her actions. In addition, in 2018, Desmond became the first Canadian woman to appear on the face of a regularly circulating banknote, cementing her status as an iconic Viola Desmond's courageous stand against racial segregation serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for equality in Canada and beyond. Her act of defiance not only challenged discriminatory policies but also inspired generations of activists to fight against injustice. Desmond's legacy lives on through the acknowledgment of her contributions, the commemoration of her image on Canadian currency, and the enduring significance of her story in the ongoing pursuit of equality and social

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Facts Viola Irene Desmond was a Black Nova Scotian businesswoman who challenged racial segregation at a film theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia in 1946. Unaware that the tickets sold to African Canadians in the theatre were for the balcony and the main floor was reserved solely for white patrons, she bought a ticket and took a seat on the main floor. Theatre staff demanded that she go to the balcony, but she refused. The police arrested her immediately and the following morning, despite not having done anything wrong, she was fined $20 and charged with defrauding the Government of Nova Scotia of the difference in the tax between a ground floor and a balcony seat, which amounted to one cent. Issue Should an individual’s right to freedom from discrimination based on race, creed, or colour be considered above the freedom of commerce?

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Certainly, the case exposed the underhanded method of tax evasion as a means in which to punish Desmond for violating the invisible cods of conduct in the private sector venue of the Roseland Theater. The legal judgment of owing “one cent” for a tax violation was the ultimate decision of the court. This “echo” of the Jim Crow laws defines the underlying resistance to desegregation in Nova Scotia, which made an impact on the social consciousness of the people. The judgment of the courts in relation to the purchase of a ticket, which would eventually galvanize the Civil Rights Movement in Canada. These factors define the sentencing of the Desmond case as another means in which a racially motivated legal institution would lay the foundations for Civil Rights actions against these underhanded methods of legal enforcement of racism in

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1429 Words | 6 Pages

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This small act of defiant created the “Dominoes Effect”, her soft and humble voice made a loud and long impact on Canadian society (Thomson, Colin A. 1986). Viola small movement of civil disobedience and discourse prompted a larger organisation to create a chain of civil events to liberate and unify African Canadian to act against the unwritten broken rules of Jim Crow laws that are were practice in provinces across Canada (Thomson, Colin A. 1986). Viola Desmond case was an important one to the NAACP, as they saw this as an opportunity to highlight black issues so they organize three different marches (Walker, Barrington 2012) . The first event was a rally, held on January 1947, this was to raise fund to pay for Viola’s defense. The second

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