Viola had 6 siblings: Darcy Clark, Patricia Holmberg (born Clark) and 4 other siblings. Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. However, the actual reason for her arrest was not the difference in cost, but the fact that she had refused to vacate a seat reserved for the whites. She is featured on the $10 bill. Although racial mixing was not uncommon in early 20th-centu… However, the government insisted that it was a case of tax evasion. Desmond was born Viola Irene Davis on July 6, 1914, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The next morning she was brought before the local Magistrate. She grew up middle class, and her parents, James Albert and Gwendolin Irene Davis, were highly involved in Halifax’s Black community. After completing her training, she returned to Halifax to open her own hair salon called ‘Vi’s Studio of Beauty Culture.’ Her salon catered particularly to the black community. She lived in a time when black women were expected to be servants in houses, and black men were expected to be servants on trains. Please try to rate again. Her parents were highly regarded and active among the black community in her hometown. Since she was sold a cheaper ticket for the area reserved for the blacks, she was charged with tax evasion of one cent, which was the difference in the cost of tickets for the whites and the blacks. The first ‘Nova Scotia Heritage Day,’ celebrated in February 2015, was dedicated to her. She also opened her own school for beautician training, known as the ‘Desmond School of Beauty Culture.’ This was done to prevent any more discrimination against black people in her field. However, because she was of African descent she wasn’t allowed to attend the school. 128 matching entries found. Viola Desmond (1914 - 1965) was a Canadian Black Nova Scotian businesswoman who challenged racial segregation at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, NS, in 1946 when she refused to leave the whites-only area. She was born in Halifax’s . Although some family members were scared, Viola Desmond decided to clear her name. Viola Desmond was an African Canadian woman from Nova Scotia. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. Viola Desmond was born in 1914 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Desmond was born Viola Irene Davis on July 6, 1914, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The first Black-owned newspaper kept the story alive. Many of those familiar with Desmond’s action compare her to famed American civil-rights activist Rosa Parks and her 1955 refusal to vacate a bus seat so that a white passenger could sit down in Montgomery, Alabama (CBC 2006) but Martin and Desmond’s family emphasize the Canadian and Nova Scotian context for her example of ‘direct action’. Explore {{searchView.params.phrase}} by colour family {{familyColorButtonText(colorFamily.name)}} William "Bill" Morneau, Canada's finance minister, right, and Wanda Robson, sister of Viola Desmond, smile on stage during an event in Gatineau,... StWanda … Viola Desmond Family, Childhood, Life Achievements, Facts, Wiki and Bio of 2017. Initially members of the Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NSAACP) feared a racist backlash debated whether to assist her. While waiting for her car to be repaired, she took in a movie at Roseland Theatre, which was segregated with a main floor for white patrons and a balcony for black patrons. She was the subject of the children’s book ‘Viola Desmond Won’t Be Budged’ by Jody Nyasha Warner and a song written by Canadian social activist and singer Faith Nolan. On Thursday, Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter offered the apology to the family of the late Viola Desmond and to all black Nova Scotians for Desmond's unjust arrest back in 1946. Each year, as many as 15 black women graduated from her school and started their own ventures that provided further job opportunities to the black community. She was then forcibly removed, put under arrest for 12 hours, and fined $20. During that disaster she was blown from her high chair. Viola Desmond, Canadian businesswoman and civil libertarian who in 1946 defied the segregation policy of a movie theater in Nova Scotia, taking a seat in the whites-only section. Viola Irene (Davis) Desmond was born 6 Jul 1914 in Halifax, Halifax Co., Nova Scotia, Canada. 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Viola Desmond - Viola Desmond - Trial: In the morning, Desmond was taken to court and charged with attempting to defraud the provincial government based on her alleged refusal to pay a one-cent amusement tax (i.e., the difference in tax between upstairs and downstairs ticket prices). Viola Desmond, who refused to leave whites-only section of theatre, chosen for Canadian $10 notes Canada’s finance minister, Bill Morneau, with Wanda Robson after her sister Viola Desmond … She died on February 7, 1965 in New York, New York, United States. She hired a lawyer who wasn’t very good and lost her case. Canada had no formal segregation laws, but individual provinces such as Nova Scotia enacted them. 64 years later, in April 2010, the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia invoked the ‘Royal Prerogative’ to posthumously pardon Viola Desmond, granting her full remedy and accepting that the conviction was an error. She approached the ‘Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People’ (NSAACP) and hired a lawyer to fight a case of racial discrimination. Born to Nicholas Michael Herbert and Ann Bates in Ireland in October 1824. Eventually, they did but were defeated when the Nova Scotia Supreme Court dismissed the application for judicial review in 1947. The story of her courageous refusal to accept an act of racial discrimination provided inspiration to a later generation of Blacks in Nova Scotia and in the rest of Canada. Civil rights pioneer Viola Desmond was selected from the more than 26,000 submissions that rolled in after the Bank of Canada ... thank you,” said Robson. Viola made the decision to head to Montreal to attend school – she also travelled to Atlantic City and New York to pursue her education. She later married Jack Desmond. Her marriage ended soon after. The … Discover the real story, facts, and details of Viola Desmond. She was physically ejected from the theatre by the police chief and the manager, causing injury to her hip. Viola Desmond's trailblazing act of defiance was overlooked for decades by most Canadians. She was featured in a commemorative stamp released by ‘Canada Post’ in 2012. Viola Desmond (born Clark) was born on month day 1934, at birth place, New York, to Dearcy Clark and Eva Clark (born Fritz). Her body was put to rest at the ‘Camp Hill Cemetery’ in Halifax, Nova Scotia. See instructions. She started making several business trips to popularize and sell her beauty products. Viola Desmond has become one of the most iconic figures in the Canadian civil rights movement, and has been honoured in a Google Doodle. North-end on 6 July 1914 to James Davis and Gwendolyn Johnson Davis. Looks like something went wrong. The Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NSAACP) offered to pay her legal fees. Following this, she moved to Montréal and ultimately settled in New York, US. The four statutes would be positioned as if in a conversation with each other, discussing their accomplishments and struggles. She was the daughter of James Albert and Gwendolin Irene Davis. She grew up middle class, and her parents, James Albert and Gwendolin Irene Davis, were highly involved in Halifax’s Black community. Her father was raised in a middle-class black family and eventually became a barber. Her father, who worked as a stevedore before opening a barbershop, was black, while her mother was white. Viola Desmond Biography Stories. She also became the first colored woman to have been featured in a ‘Historica Canada Heritage Minute’ short film that year. He had been brought up in Glasgow and was accustomed to be treated badly by white-skinned people. Her mother, Gwendolin Irene (Johnson) Davis was the daughter of a white minister and his wife. However, she wanted to address the needs of the black community by introducing beauty products for people with dark skin. Discover the real story, facts, and details of Viola Desmond. Her father was black and her mother was white, which was not very common in Canada in those days. 1700 Rue Viola-Desmond, #214, Montréal (LaSalle), Quebec H8N0C8 In July 2016, a ferry in Halifax harbor was named after her. {{-*error}} 0.0 based on 0 rates. Viola Desmond was born on July 6, 1914 in Nova Scotia. She completed her beauty training and opened her own beauty salon that catered to the requirements of black people. Viola Desmond is often compared to Rosa Parks, who had deliberately occupied a bus seat that was reserved for white people and had given rise to the ‘Civil Rights Movement’ in the US. Many Blacks in Halifax and across Nova Scotia rallied to her side. She was born on July 6, 1914 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and died on February 7, 1965 in New York, New York, United States aged 50. Though she lost her case, her determination galvanized the black community in Nova Scotia and encouraged them to fight for their rights. She had nine siblings: Olive Scott, Helen Fline, Alan Davis, Constance Scott, Wanda Robson, Eugenie Parris, Emily Clyke, John Davis, and Gordon Davis. ‘Cape Breton University’ named a ‘Chair in Social Justice’ and established a scholarship campaign in Viola’s honor. On November 8, 1946, during a business trip to New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, she experienced car trouble. She was one of 15 children and her parents, James and Gwendolin Davis, … Viola Desmond Timeline July 6, 1914 Born Viola Irene Davis in Halifax, Nova Scotia, she was the daughter of James Davis, a self-employed barber and businessman, and Gwendolyn Irene Johnson, a homemaker. When justice did prevail, it was 64 years later. Although she was charged with tax evasion, since she was sold a ticket for a cheaper seat reserved for black people, she gave rise to a movement of black people who fought for equal rights. For her whole childhood, she had wanted to become a professional hair and skin care for the blacks. She belonged to a large family with 10 children. Civil rights pioneer, Viola Desmond, was a Black-Canadian businesswoman who was jailed and fined in 1946 for refusing to give up her seat in the whytes-only section of a Canadian movie theatre. She was asked to continue her fight for the cause, but she preferred to concentrate on her beauty school and business. Viola Desmond born Viola Irene Davis, was a Canadian Business owner and beautician. Viola Desmond, in full Viola Irene Desmond, was a successful black businesswoman.Desmond was jailed, convicted, and fined for defiantly refusing to leave a whites-only seat of a movie theatre in 1946. Unaware of the segregation policy, Desmond proceeded to the main floor. Those purchasing a downstairs ticket paid a tax of three cents while patrons in the balcony paid a tax of two cents. By 1946, she was making her dreams come true. She grew up with 10 siblings! When she obtained her diplomas she opened a salon and eventually a beauty school. In December 2016, she became the first non-royal Canadian woman to be featured on a Canadian $10 note. She was from a middle-class mixed-race family; her mother was white and her father black. Embed this Biography stories. Here's all you need to know about her. Being born in 1914 meant that Viola survived the Halifax explosion of 1917. It was on one of those trips that she faced racial discrimination in a theater in New Glasgow and went to court after being charged with tax evasion. Viola was quite the entrepreneur, and launched a line of beauty products Vi’s Beauty Products. Explore Viola Desmond's biography, personal life, family and cause of death. When she was growing up, Viola noticed that there was a lack of professional hair and skin care products that were available to black women, and aspired to become a beautician to help address the need. Viola Desmond Legacy Lecture with Michèle Audette. The lawyer who fought her case donated his fees to the ‘NSAACP,’ which put the money to good use. Childhood & Early Life She was born Viola Irene Davis, on July 6, 1914, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, to James Albert Davis and Gwendolin Irene Davis. Viola Desmond Parents She was the daughter of James Albert and Gwendolin Irene Davis. She was neither informed about her legal right to a lawyer nor granted bail. READ MORE: Sister of civil rights icon Viola Desmond cherishes her legacy. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/viola-desmond-40917.php, Celebrities Who Look Beautiful Even Without Makeup, The Top 25 Wrestling Announcers Of All Time, Famous Role Models You Would Like To Meet, Celebrities Who Are Not In The Limelight Anymore. Viola Davis Desmond was a Halifax businesswoman and civil rights activist who was arrested for challenging racial segregation in a theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, in 1946. When she told her husband about the incident, he advised her to forget about it. Starting in 2018, Viola Desmond is going to be the first Canadian woman to be featured on a regularly circulating Canadian ten-dollar bill, Sorry, you have Javascript Disabled! Viola Desmond - Viola Desmond - Trial: In the morning, Desmond was taken to court and charged with attempting to defraud the provincial government based on her alleged refusal to pay a one-cent amusement tax (i.e., the difference in tax between upstairs and downstairs ticket prices). Viola Desmond - Business Women, Family and Life. In November 1946, she refused to vacate a seat reserved for the whites in a movie theater in New Glasgow. Viola Desmond was a Canadian citizen of mixed race, who championed the cause of equal rights for people with dark skin, in early 20th century. Viola Desmond was brought up in a large family with 10 siblings. Viola Desmond was a Canadian citizen of mixed race, who championed the cause of equal rights for people with dark skin, in early 20th century Viola Desmond - Business Women, Family, Life - Viola Desmond Biography Dearcy was born in Austria. The story of Viola Desmond, an entrepreneur who challenged segregation in Nova Scotia in the 1940s. 1924 (?) However, Viola was a strong supporter of the black movement to demand equal rights. Viola took up a teaching job in a school for black children. To see this page as it is meant to appear, please enable your Javascript! However, she gained the support of the church and decided to fight her case. Since people of African descent were not allowed to join beautician training in Viola’s hometown, she moved to Montréal, Atlantic City, to start training as a beautician at the ‘Field Beauty Culture School’ and finally completed her training from one of Madam CJ Walker’s beauty schools in New York. The Google Doodle for July 6, 2018 celebrates the Canadian civil rights pioneer Viola Desmond on what would have been the Nova Scotian’s 104th birthday. Her husband was black and worked as a barber. She was 50 years old when she died of gastrointestinal hemorrhage in February 1965. She and her fourteen siblings grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as the children of Gwendolin and James Davis. I see in Desmond’s story in the stories of my own family and community members in … When Viola finished her education she returned to Halifax where she opened a very successful salon. When word of her situation reached Halifax, the black community raised funds to hire legal counsel for Desmond to launch an appeal of her verdict. She married Jack Desmond, who owned a barbershop on Gottingen Street. The story of her courageous refusal to accept an act of racial discrimination provided inspiration to a later generation of Blacks in Nova Scotia and in the rest of Canada. Desmond's birth name was Viola Irene Davis and she was born in Halifax, N.S., in 1914. 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Viola Desmond's family was made up of her parents and 10 siblings. Showing search results for "Viola Desmond" sorted by relevance. Biography . When Viola graduated from high school she wanted to attend a beautician school in Halifax. siblings: Alan Davis, Constance Scott, Emily Clyke, Eugenie Parris, Gordon Davis, Helen Fline, John Davis, Olive Scott, Wanda Robson, See the events in life of Viola Desmond in Chronological Order. Her father, who worked as a stevedore before opening a barbershop, was black, while her mother was white. She was born as one of 15 children by James Desmond and Gwendolen Davis. She graduated and came back with her husband Jack Desmond to Halifax to build a beauty salon. Desmond was convicted and fined twenty dollars and court costs. Ironically Desmond was charged with tax evasion for her failure to pay the proper tax for a downstairs ticket. She was ordered by the manager to go to the balcony. Her mother, Gwendolin Irene Davis (née Johnson), was the daughter of a White minister and his wife, who had moved to Halifax from New Haven, Connecticut. Home › Canadian › Viola Desmond July 6, 1914 185 views ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Thanks for rating! Explore Viola Desmond's biography, personal life, family and cause of death. Viola Davis Desmond was one of the most successful Canadian, Black or White, entrepreneurial women of her time. http://cbncompass.ca/news/regional/viola-desmond-selected-as-first-canadian-woman-to-be-on-10-bank-note-1246/, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/viola-desmond-wanda-robson-black-history-month-1.3430629, http://www.historyandwomen.com/2010/04/viola-desmond-true-heroine.html. Viola refused to leave and was dragged out by the police. She went to New York's Lalia College for beauty business. She came into prominence as an activist when she refused to vacate a seat in a theater that was reserved for white people. Her portrait has also been put up in the ‘Government House’ in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 2000, a documentary titled ‘Long Road to Justice: The Viola Desmond Story’ was released by the ‘National Film Board of Canada.’. Viola Desmond had been denied the protection that one expects from the Canadian justice system. Viola Desmond is remembered as a citizen who stood for a cause. Her father, James Albert Davis, was raised in a middle-class Black family, and had worked for several years as a stevedore before establishing himself as a barber. Viola Desmond Biography, Wiki, Age, Parents, Siblings, Cause of Death, Family, Bill,... 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