Viola Desmond Essay

Racial discrimination is an issue that is present all throughout history and in many countries around the world. Today, the country of Canada is known for its multicultural society and its freely diverse citizens. However, just a few decades ago, this was not the case. Racial discrimination during the 1900s was very heavy towards non-Caucasian people, as they were seen as inferior and as lesser beings. Viola Desmond was a young African-Canadian woman that stood up face-to-face with the racial discrimination and was able to overcome its boundaries. With the power of her actions, she was able to spread a positive message throughout Canada and helped to put notice towards racial discrimination present in Canadian society. She is undoubtedly one …show more content…
She grew up in an upper-middle class household with her father, mother and 10 siblings. Her father, James Albert Davis, was an African Canadian and had a career as a barber. Her mother, Gwendoline Irene, was the daughter of a Caucasian minister. Although racial mixing was rare at the time, her family was accepted into the African-Canadian community of Halifax and became active in community issues and organizations. As a child, Viola always had the dream of becoming a respected and successful businesswoman, which was not common at the time. As she grew older, she became more aware of the racial issues in society and the hate that surrounded different colours of people. Following her dream, Viola enrolled at the Field Beauty Culture School, located in Montreal, Quebec to study the art of makeup and hair-styling. Upon graduating, she later decided to continued her training and refine her skills in Atlantic City and New York. After she received the necessary skills and requirements, Viola opened up a school named “Desmond’s School of Beauty Culture” and taught many young women the culture of design and fashion. All was going well for Viola. She was able to achieve her dream of becoming a successful business woman and was married to a young African-Canadian man named Jack Desmond. Little did she know, one of the biggest moments in her life and Canadian history would occur soon in her …show more content…
Years after Viola’s situation, many instances occurred of racial discrimination within Canada where African-Canadians were denied service. Instead of being quiet about it, many African-Canadians stood up for their rights with the influence of Viola Desmond. An example this was the incident in 1936, where a young African-Canadian man named Fred Christie was denied service at a bar because of the colour of his skin. He chose to stand up for his rights and took his case all the way to the Supreme Court, which unfortunately ruled that businesses have the right to choose who they want to serve. Even though Christie was denied by the Supreme Court, he took inspiration for Viola to fight for his rights and what he truly believes in. Today, Viola’s presence still lingers on as she became the first Canadian woman to appear on a Canadian bill. It is also the first bill in Canadian history to have a vertical stance instead of a horizontal stance. Viola’s sister, Wanda Robson, was the person that introduced the idea of having Viola as the new face of the $10 bill to the leaders of the Bank of Canada. On March 8th 2018, the governor of the Bank of Canada, Stephen Poloz, and the Finance Minister, Bill Morneau announced that Viola Desmond will be appearing on Canada’s $10 bill and that it will be in circulation at the end of 2018. In