I had never learnt about Viola Desmond in my Canadian History class.

Viola Desmond was a successful beautician and business woman from Halifax, Nova Scotia. On November 8, 1946, after attending a movie at the Rose land theatre in New Glasgow she was arrested for choosing to sit in the “white section” of the segregated theatre rather than the balcony where blacks were made to sit.

She was jailed for twelve hours and then eventually charged with “attempting to defraud the Canadian government.” The charged stemmed from her refusal to pay the one cent amusement tax which meant that a ticket for blacks cost three cents instead of the two cents that white customers paid. Desmond refused to pay more than white customers for the same movie. After a trial, she was sentenced to pay a $20 fine and spend thirty days in prison. Her case brought attention to the “Jim Crow” like laws that condoned racism in Canada, at the time.

Viola Desmond’s story is important. I think that too often we believe the myth that Canada is a multicultural utopia, in comparison to the United States. In many ways, it is a tolerant society but every country has its flaws. Why should we hide them? Why don’t we educate more people about Viola Desmond and the Civil Rights Movement in Canada. Yes, there was a civil rights movement in Canada!

In the US, they celebrate Rosa Parks and her story. Where is Viola Desmond’s celebration?