As Black History Month kicks off today, we want to bring to the fore someone that you may not have heard of before in the context of Canada’s Black History. Her name is Viola Desmond, and she’s amazing.
Broken car, Rom-Com
Viola was on her way to a business meeting in 1946 (total OG #girlboss), when her car broke down. Waiting for repairs, she decided to watch a movie to pass the time. Little did she know she was about to make a dent in Canadian history. (Can you name a 1940s rom-com? We can’t.)
“You people”
She bought a ticket for the main floor (generally, reserved for non-White customers) but was given a ticket for the upper balcony — an area that was “customary for Black persons to sit together.” (We know, we can’t believe we just wrote that either. Makes us shudder. Ugh!) As Viola made her way to the main floor, the ticket-taker refused to let her in because she had the wrong ticket. Returning to the cashier, thinking there was a mistake, Viola asked the cashier for the correct ticket but was answered that, “I’m sorry but I’m not permitted to sell downstairs tickets to you people.”
*Necessary tangent
Truthfully, we can’t imagine ever uttering those kind of words to any other human being. Ever. It really hurts us to imagine what Viola and countless other, wonderful visible minorities throughout history must have felt when faced with racism.
As Viola went back to her seat, the manager called the police, and she was soon dragged out of the theatre. Because it wasn’t bad enough already as a situation, she injured her hip and knee and spent the night in jail. The next day, without any legal representation, she was fined (~$350 in today’s money) before a judge. Determined to seek justice, Viola found a lawyer and decided to take civil action against the theatre for compensation for her injuries. Sadly, however, her case never made it to trial. Her story, however, made headlines across the country and added the positive fuel to civil liberties groups in their fight for change.
Her legacy
Although it is hard to say that Viola’s hardships had a direct role in the fight for racial equality in Nova Scotia, what we do know is that time heals. During the early, 2000s, her sister, Wanda, had a big role in getting Viola’s story out there — #sisterlove. Throughout the following years, public declarations of pardons and apologies were officially made in Viola’s name and the wrongdoings of the past were acknowledged.
Viola’s victory (albeit 60+ years later) is a testament to not only never forget what happened, but also to take action. If it wasn’t for her sister’s efforts to speak up on the behalf of her, Viola’s story made have been lost in the pages of history.
On an awesome, happy note, Canadians across the country will all soon see Viola on a regular basis as she’s going to be the beautiful face of the new Canadian 10$ bill in 2018. Double awesome, she’ll also be the first woman ever to grace Canadian currency — cha-ching. Ciao Johnny MacD.
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