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What was Viola Desmond life like?

What was Viola Desmond life like?

Early life and family She was brought up in a large family, including 10 siblings, and her parents were highly regarded within the Black community in Halifax. Motivated by her parents’ example of hard work and community involvement, Desmond aspired to success as an independent businesswoman.

What are the character traits of Viola Desmond?

Bravery. The first Canadian characteristic that Viola showed, is none other than bravery. Viola showed bravery when she was told to sit on the balcony of the theatre, but instead she sat on the main floor where it was for white people only.

What did Viola Desmond’s parents do?

Gwendolin Irene Davis
James Albert Davis
Viola Desmond/Parents

What are 3 interesting facts about Viola Desmond?

A CANADIAN CIVIL RIGHT LEGACY In 2018, she became the first Canadian woman to appear on a regularly circulating Canadian $10 bill. Desmond was portrayed on a Canadian postage stamp. Desmond was featured in a Heritage Minute and there is even a ferryboat in Halifax, Nova Scotia named in her honour.

Why is Viola Desmond a hero?

The first Canadian woman to grace the country’s banknote is a black civil rights hero. Desmond became one of the faces of Canada’s civil rights movement in 1946, after her arrest and conviction for sitting in the white section of a segregated movie theater in New Glasgow.

How did Viola Desmond died?

Gastrointestinal bleeding
Viola Desmond/Cause of death
Desmond closed her business and moved to Montreal where she could enroll in a business college. She eventually settled in New York City, where she died from gastrointestinal bleeding on February 7, 1965, at the age of 50. She is buried at Camp Hill Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

How old was Viola Desmond when she died?

50 years (1914–1965)
Viola Desmond/Age at death
After the trial and encounter with the legal system of Nova Scotia, her marriage ended. Desmond closed her business and moved to Montreal where she could enroll in a business college. She eventually settled in New York City, where she died from gastrointestinal bleeding on February 7, 1965, at the age of 50.

Why did Viola Desmond divorce?

It is difficult to know what Viola Desmond felt about her brave stand and its aftermath. Eventually, and perhaps due to her experience with the Nova Scotia legal system, her marriage fell apart. She decided to abandon her business and move to Montreal and then New York City.

Is Viola Desmond still alive?

Deceased (1914–1965)
Viola Desmond/Living or Deceased

Where did Viola Desmond Live as a child?

She was one of the ten children of James Albert and Gwendolin Irene Davis. Viola grew up in a large family with her grandparents. Their family was active in the black community in Halifax, Nova Scotia, despite the fact that her mother was white and her father black, uncommon for the time.

Why was Viola Desmond arrested in Nova Scotia?

In 1946, Viola Desmond challenged racial discrimination when she refused to leave the segregated Whites-only section of the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Viola Desmond was arrested, jailed overnight and convicted without legal representation for an obscure tax offence as a result.

Why did Viola Desmond fight for equal rights?

He had been brought up in Glasgow and was accustomed to be treated badly by white-skinned people. However, Viola was a strong supporter of the black movement to demand equal rights. In November 1946, she refused to vacate a seat reserved for the whites in a movie theater in New Glasgow.

Why was Viola Desmond charged with tax evasion?

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. She was born Viola Irene Davis, on July 6, 1914, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, to James Albert Davis and Gwendolin Irene Davis.