The continent of North America is plagued by racism associated with a long history of slavery and racial oppression. Despite the racial oppression suffered by people of African descent living on the continent, history shows that there are people of color who refused to bow in the face of oppression and stood up for themselves. One such person is Canadian businesswoman Viola Desmond, whose struggles for the civil rights movement cemented her place in history.
Her courage and strength have been recognized by the citizens and the Government of Canada and she is remembered for the stand she took. To learn more about this brave woman and her transformation into a national hero, keep reading.
Who is Viola Desmond?
Viola Irene Davis was born in 1914 on November 6, July in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada to James Albert Davis; a hairdresser and Gwendolin Irene Johnson. Her parents had nine other children besides her and were actively involved in their immediate black communities. They were one of the few interracial couples at the time, with her father being black and her mother being white.
In her childhood, Viola Irene could tell that there was a shortage of hair and skin care products that take into account the texture of African hair and the skin of women who look like her so decided to do something about it. Animosity towards black women prevented her from training as a beautician in Halifax, her hometown, so she made the decision to move to Montreal, Atlantic City and finally New York to train as a beautician. .
In New York, Viola Desmond trained in schools under the prestigious Madame CJ Walker Schools for Beautification. Upon completion of her training, she returned to her hometown and opened her own salon frequented by black community elites, including Gwen Jenkins, who became the first woman of color to hold a nursing position in New York. -Scotland..
She also opened a beautician school for women, where they were taught skills not only in beautification, but also skills needed to start a business. She also launched a line of beauty products for black women.
Why is it on the new Canadian $10 bill?
On November 8, 1946, Viola Desmond, while on a business trip selling her products, decided to visit the cinema to pass the time while her broken down car was being repaired. Unbeknownst to him, the cinema had a policy that limited the lower part of the cinema to people of color and left only the grandstand to them.
Short-sighted, she decided to sit in the lower part of the cinema where she could see the screen better. When she was discovered, an attempt to move her followed. Realizing what was happening, she refused to change seats, which earned her an arrest because the price of the lower seats was taxed higher than those in the grandstand. His arrest was related to tax evasion; she has been locked up for twelve hours and is expected to appear in court for penny tax evasion.
This event triggered a decision to fight the charge against her. Going against the wishes of her husband who had told her to drop the case; this led to one of the first race-related trials in Canada. At the end of the trial, Viola Desmond moved to Montreal and closed her business in Halifax. She spent her last years in New York, where she died at the age of 51.
For her actions, she has been compared to Rosa Parks, although there are contextual differences in the grounds for protest. History also shows that Desmond was more interested in advocating for the rights of black people by creating beautification products tailored to their needs.
In 2016, Desmond became the first woman with Canadian citizenship and the first non-royal woman to appear on one of the country’s banknotes. The move is one of many attempts to right the wrongs done to her and recognize her as a national hero for her fight against racism. This comes after the pardon she was given posthumously in 2010.
The design of the new bill it appears on, namely the $10 bill, was released in 2018 on November 26 by the Bank of Canada.