Viola Davis Desmond

Canadian civil rights icon, entrepreneur

• Born: July 6, 1914
• Birthplace: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
• Died: February 7, 1965
• Place of death: New York, New York

Education: Field Beauty Culture School (Montreal)

Significance: Much like American Rosa Parks, Viola Davis Desmond never wanted to become a civil rights icon. A successful cosmetics entrepreneur in post–World War II Canada, she refused to sit in the blacks-only section of a public movie theater in Nova Scotia and, in the ensuring legal action, became a powerful and heroic symbol of standing up to segregation.

Background

Viola Davis grew up in a large family in Nova Scotia, one of Canada’s maritime provinces along the Atlantic Ocean. For more than a century, during the pitched battle over slavery in the United States, Nova Scotia, had become one of the preferred destinations for runaway slaves in the Underground Railroad; thus, the province had a disproportionately large black population compared to most of the rest of Canada. Nevertheless, Nova Scotia, much like the rest of the country, quietly maintained a de facto separate-but-equal treatment of its black citizens—and Desmond grew up in that atmosphere. Growing up, however, Desmond enjoyed the company and spirit of her black neighborhood—both her parents were active in church and social groups.

When she completed high school, she knew she wanted to be a beautician. But black women were not permitted to attend the cosmetology academies that licensed beauticians. Undeterred, she headed to Montreal, ultimately going to the United States, where she completed her licensing in cosmetology in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Davis, who was light skinned, found few cosmetics products geared to help black women with many different shades and complexions. She returned to Halifax determined not only to be a beautician but also to own her own salon and sell her own line of cosmetic products geared toward black women.

Desmond dreamed of helping other black women start in the beauty business. She opened the Desmond School of Beauty Culture, a licensed facility to train black women as beauticians, encouraging her best students not only to work as beauticians but also to open their own businesses, empowering young black women. At its peak, Desmond’s academy graduated fifteen students annually.

Life’s Work

As part of her work, Desmond would take business trips to towns and cities in Nova Scotia to promote her cosmetics. In November 1946, on such a trip, her car broke down in the small town of New Glasgow, where she was stranded for the night. She decided to spend the evening by going to the town’s only movie theater, the Roseland. She purchased a ticket and found a seat on the main floor.

An usher informed her that her ticket was for the balcony. She returned to the box office to exchange the ticket for a floor seat. She was refused the ticket because of the color of her skin, but returned to a seat on the main floor of the theater in protest. The theater manager confronted Desmond, telling her that she must sit in the balcony. However, she adamantly declined to abandon her seat. The manager refused to start the movie—rather, he called the town police. Desmond was forcibly dragged from her seat—her hip was injured, and she sustained multiple bruises on her arms. She was arrested and spent the night in jail without being offered a chance to speak to a lawyer.

Desmond was later arraigned on a trumped-up charge of fraud—she had been sitting on the main floor. Tickets there cost three dollars—seats in the balcony were only two dollars. She was charged with defrauding the Canadian government the equivalent of a penny in taxes. She was nevertheless convicted and assessed a twenty-dollar fine along with six dollars for court costs. Even though she lost two appeals, Desmond had exposed the reality of Canadian race relations and became an inspiration for those wanting to secure equal rights for Canada’s black citizens.

After the trial, she closed her beauty school in Nova Scotia and headed to what she hoped would be the anonymity and business opportunity in Montreal. Later she moved back to New York City. When she died at the age of fifty in 1965, she was largely forgotten—even she did not realize the impact her action had had. Within a decade, however, thanks in large part to both the successes of the American civil rights movement and the efforts of Desmond’s own family, most notably her sister, Wanda Robson, Desmond’s place in the history of Canadian civil rights was defined and celebrated.

In April 2010, Desmond was granted a posthumous pardon from the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia, who cited the "Royal Prerogative." Desmond’s pardon was historic—the first time the prerogative had actually been used. Since, Desmond has been the subject of numerous books and films, and in 2012, she was honored on a Canadian postage stamp.

Impact

Nearly a decade before Rosa Parks, Viola Desmond demonstrated extraordinary courage in the face of institutionalized racism. Her decision in the theater to stand up for her rights continues to inspire those looking to stand up to racial prejudice entrenched in both Canadian and American society. Desmond was also a successful entrepreneur who specialized in providing products for black consumers and for empowering black women through education.

Bibliography

Bingham, Russell. "Viola Desmond." Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada, 27 Jan. 2013. Web. 29 Aug. 2016.

"Viola Desmond First Nova Scotian Honored on New Holiday." CBS News. CBC/Radio-Canada, 14 Feb. 2014. Web. 9 June 2016.

"Viola Desmond: 2015 Honoree." Nova Scotia Heritage Day. Province of Nova Scotia, 2015. Web. 9 June 2016.

"Viola Desmond’s Legacy Lives On." CBU.ca. Cape Breton University, 21 Feb. 2014. Web. 9 June 2016.