Viola Desmond: Her Life and Times

by Graham Reynolds, Wanda Robson (With)

Overview

Many Canadians know that Viola Desmond is the first Black, non-royal woman to be featured on Canadian currency. But fewer know the details of Viola Desmond’s life and legacy. In 1946, Desmond was arrested for refusing to give up her seat in a whites-only section of a movie theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Her singular act of courage was a catalyst in the struggle for racial equality that eventually ended segregation in Nova Scotia.

Authors Graham Reynolds and Wanda Robson (Viola’s sister) look beyond the theatre incident and provide new insights into her life. They detail not only her act of courage in resisting the practice of racial segregation in Canada, but also her extraordinary achievement as a pioneer African Canadian businesswoman. In spite of the widespread racial barriers that existed in Canada during most of the twentieth century, Viola Desmond became the pre-eminent Black beauty culturist in Canada, establishing the first Black beauty studio in Halifax and the Desmond School of Beauty Culture. She also created her own line of beauty products.

Accessible, concise and timely, this book tells the incredible, important story of Viola Desmond, considered by many to be Canada’s Rosa Parks.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781773631240
Publisher:	Fernwood Publishing
Publication date:	11/01/2018
Sold by:	De Marque
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Graham Reynolds is a professor emeritus and the Viola Desmond Chair in Social Justice at Cape Breton University.He is the author (with Wanda Robson) of Viola Desmond’s Canada: A History of Blacks and Racial Segregation in the Promised Land, winner of the 2017 Robbie Robertson Atlantic Book Award for Non-Fiction.

Wanda Robson is well known local community educator, author, and the youngest sister of the Canadian civil rights icon Viola Desmond. She is longtime resident of North Sydney, Nova Scotia, where she resides with her husband Joe. In 2004, at the age of 77, she fulfilled her lifelong dream of completing a university education when she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cape Breton University. Following graduation, Wanda began a campaign to raise public awareness about her sister Viola and the struggle for racial equality in Canada. In 2010, she published Sister to Courage: Stories from the World of Viola Desmond, Canada’s Rosa Parks. She has given numerous public and school presentations and has been interviewed many times by local and national media.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Introduction: Viola Desmond 1

Chapter 1 Family Ties and Life in North End Halifax 7

The Davis Family 8

Education and Career Opportunities 16

The King of Gottingen Street 19

Chapter 2 Memories of My Sister and the Roseland Theatre Incident 25

My Guardian Angel 26

The Roseland Theatre Incident 28

My Personal Journey of Self-discovery through Education and Raising Public Awareness 34

Chapter 3 Canada's Rosa Parks 41

Racial Segregation in Canada 41

They Shall Not Be Moved 44

Initial Reactions 48

Chapter 4 A Woman of Her Time: Viola Desmond and Black Beauty Culture in Canada 53

Early Pioneers of Black Beauty Culture in the United States: Annie Jumbo Malone and Madam C. J. Walker 55

The New Ideal of Black Beauty: "If not Black, Certainly not White." 63

Viola and the Emergence of Black Beauty Culture in Canada 66

Desmond School of Beauty Culture 72

Chapter 5 Viola Desmond's Legacy 79

Canadian Human Rights Movements 82

The Dynamics of Change: The 1960s, 1970s and Beyond 87

Epilogue: Toward a New Direction 99

Acknowledgements 101

Notes 105

Index 115

Editorial Reviews

Reynolds and Robson have forged a remarkable partnership to bring us a fascinating account of Viola Desmond’s life. This wonderful book is filled with new information and insight, riveting reading about an extraordinary woman’s contribution to Canada’s history.

Constance Backhouse