Viola Desmond
Viola Desmond founded a beauty school in Nova Scotia so Black women didn’t have to travel so far to train as beauticians. Her students went on to establish their own businesses, serving an important need in their communities and creating employment opportunities where there had previously been none.
Growing up in Halifax, Viola Desmond realized there was nowhere for Black women to go for hair and skin care. Barred from training as a beautician in Halifax because of her skin colour, she traveled around North America, training in Montreal, New York, and Atlantic City. She returned to Halifax to open Vi's Studio of Beauty Culture. Soon after, she opened the Desmond School of Beauty Culture so Black women could train as beauticians without having to travel so far.
Her clients included Gwen Davis, who would go on to become the first Black nurse in Nova Scotia, and Portia May White, a contralto singer who was Canada’s first internationally renowned Black concert singer. Each year, Desmond’s school graduated about 15 students, all of whom were encouraged to go on to open their own businesses. This led to increased employment opportunities for Black women in dozens of East Coast communities.
In 1946, Desmond was arrested for sitting in the floor section, rather than the balcony that was reserved for Black patrons, at a New Glasgow theatre. The leaders of her community church encouraged her to fight the charges. The Clarion, the first Black-owned newspaper in Nova Scotia, had journalist Carrie Best reporting on every aspect of the story and the subsequent trial. The charges were eventually dismissed.
Baptist minister William Pearley Oliver, the church leader who had originally convinced Desmond to fight, later said of the case, “this meant something to our people. Neither before or since has there been such an aggressive effort to obtain rights. The people arose as one and with one voice. This positive stand enhanced the prestige of the Negro community throughout the Province. It is my conviction that much of the positive action that has since taken place stemmed from this.”
It takes support from family, friends, neighbours, and community to take a stand against injustice. In turn, taking that stand engenders support from those around you. Support follows resistance, and also makes future resistance possible. When one person stands, the psychological impact ripples outward. Dignity and courage are shared pursuits. Attaining them, and maintaining them, is almost always a group effort.