Viola Desmond around 1940

Viola Irene Desmond (July 6, 1914 – February 7, 1965) was a civil rights activist in Canada.

In 1946 she went into a segregated part of a movie theatre and would not leave. Then she was charged with tax evasion because the seats cost one cent less there. This event turned into a very well-known example of discrimination. Desmond was born in 1914 and died in 1965. She was pardoned from the tax evasion charge in 2010.  view more...