Viola Desmond

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Viola Desmond, around 1940

Viola Irene Desmond (born July 6, 1914 in Halifax , † February 7, 1965 in New York City ) was a black Canadian activist, civil rights activist and anti- segregation campaigner . In a cinema in Halifax, she was denied a seat on the floor on racist grounds and later sentenced on an excuse. The government did not apologize to her posthumously until 2010, 45 years after Viola Desmond's death. In 2018, Viola Desmond was declared a National Historical Person by the Canadian government . It has been featured on the Canadian 10 dollar bill since March 2018. This makes her the first Canadian woman to be depicted alone on a banknote and the first black person on a Canadian banknote.

Life

Viola Desmond had a white mother and a black father. She was a teacher and wanted to be a hairdresser and beautician. Because of the color of her skin, however, she was unable to do any training in her native Halifax . She moved and did her education in Montreal , New York City and Atlantic City . She later founded a cosmetics school and sold beauty products developed by her.

Use against racial segregation

On the evening of November 8, 1946, Viola Desmond broke down in New Glasgow. Since she could not go any further, she bought a ticket in a cinema and wanted to take a seat in the stalls, the main room. But she was told that people like her were only allowed to sit on the balcony. She refused and sat down in the stalls as planned. The police were called, Desmond was dragged out of the cinema and ultimately convicted of evading entertainment taxes of one cent. She was in prison for twelve hours. Following the verdict, Viola Desmond avoided the public eye and took steps to consolidate her company. She abandoned her original plan to set up branches in other parts of Canada. She invested her money in real estate because she believed it would be safer in such a radically divided society. The government did not apologize to her posthumously until 2010, 45 years after Viola Desmond's death.

Honors

In 2018, Viola Desmond was declared a National Historical Person by the Canadian government . Since December 2018 it can be seen on the Canadian 10 dollar bill. This makes her the first Canadian woman to be shown on a banknote alone. It is shown in the unusual portrait format and thus comes into its own.

literature

  • Constance Backhouse: Bitterly Disappointed 'at the Spread of' Color-Bar Tactics': Viola Desmond's Challenge to Racial Segregation, Nova Scotia, 1946. In: Walker Barrington (Ed.): The African Canadian Legal Odyssey. University of Toronto Press 2012, ISBN 978-1-4426-4689-6 , pp. 101-166

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jörg Michel: Viola Desmond is the first to be adorned with a black ten-dollar bill. In: morgenpost.de. March 9, 2018, accessed March 24, 2018 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Hans von der Hagen: Why Canada's new banknote is special. In: sueddeutsche.de . March 12, 2018, accessed March 24, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Constance Backhouse: Bitterly Disappointed 'at the Spread of' Color-Bar Tactics': Viola Desmond's Challenge to Racial Segregation, Nova Scotia, 1946. In: Walker Barrington (ed.): The African Canadian Legal Odyssey. University of Toronto Press 2012, ISBN 978-1-4426-4689-6 , p. 135.
  4. ^ A b Constance Backhouse: Bitterly Disappointed 'at the Spread of' Color-Bar Tactics': Viola Desmond's Challenge to Racial Segregation, Nova Scotia, 1946. In: Walker Barrington (Ed.): The African Canadian Legal Odyssey. University of Toronto Press 2012, ISBN 978-1-4426-4689-6 , p. 136.
  5. ↑ Viola Desmond Designated National Historic Person. In: cbu.ca. January 29, 2018, accessed March 24, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Desmond, viola
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Desmond, Viola Irene (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian activist, civil rights activist, and anti-segregation campaigner
DATE OF BIRTH July 6, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH Halifax
DATE OF DEATH February 7, 1965
Place of death New York City