Viola Desmond

Viola Desmond was a Canadian entrepreneur and civil rights pioneer who rose to national prominence in 1946 for refusing to leave the white-only seating area of a movie theatre in Nova Scotia. Although Desmond was imprisoned for her actions, she helped start a civil rights movement in Canada that eventually ended Nova Scotia's segregation policies. In 2018, the Bank of Canada announced plans to feature Desmond on its upcoming issue of the $10 bill, making Desmond the first woman other than Queen Elizabeth II (1926-) to be depicted on a Canadian banknote.

Desmond was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on July 6, 1914. Her father was a prominent member of the city's black community, and he had built a successful...