Viola Desmond: An Unlikely Crusader

Viola Desmond didn't set out to be a civil rights leader. But in 1946 when she was removed from a theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia for sitting in a section reserved for whites, she fought back in court.

Viola Desmond didn't set out to be a civil rights leader. But in 1946 when she was removed from a theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia for sitting in a section reserved for whites, she fought back in court. The beauty salon owner lost the case but strengthened the fight to end racial segregation in Canada. She went on to become a civil rights icon. In Nova Scotia, Heritage Day on February 16, 2015, has been dedicated to the legacy of Viola Desmond.

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