Viola Irene Desmond was a Civil Rights activist and a Women’s Rights activist who lived in Canada. She was also a businesswoman. Her racial heritage was of Black Nova Scotian decent. Her attributes towards Civil Rights includes challenging racial segregation at a cinema in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Her strategy was to sit in the whites-only section of the Roseland Theatre. For this, she was convicted and sentenced to pay a minor tax. Her case is one of the most publicized incidents of racial discrimination in Canadian history. It helped start the modern Civil Rights Movement in Canada. Desmond is often compared to Rosa Parks, due to refusing to give up her seat in the "Whites Only" sections, which contributed to the rise of Canada’s Civil Rights Movement.
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Church Affiliation:Cornwallis Street Baptist Church
Role in the Movement:Viola Irene Desmond was a Civil Rights activist and a Women’s Rights activist who lived in Canada.
Birth Place:Halifax, Nova Scotia
Born Date:July 14, 1914
Deceased Date:February 7, 1965
Place Lived as Adult: Halifax, Nova Scotia; Montreal, Atlantic City; New York City
Church Location:Halifax, Nova Scotia