Banknote Canada 10 Dollars Viola Desmond - 2018 (2022 ) Polymer - Serial FF

Viola Desmond (1914-1965) was a Canadian businesswoman and civil rights activist, renowned for her role in fighting racial segregation in Canada.

• Early Life: Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Viola Irene Davis grew up in a family of ten children. She attended local schools before pursuing cosmetology studies in the United States, as Canadian institutions did not accept black students.
• Professional Career: Viola Desmond founded her own beauty salon, the Desmond School of Beauty Culture, in Halifax. She became a successful businesswoman and an influential figure in the black community, providing beauty training services to black women at a time when they had few opportunities for education and professional training.
• 1946 Incident: Viola Desmond is best known for her act of resistance in 1946. On November 8 of that year, during a business trip to New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, she decided to see a film at the Roseland Theatre. She bought a ticket for the balcony, reserved for people of color, but chose to sit in the main section, reserved for whites. When asked to leave her seat, she refused. She was arrested, jailed overnight, and fined for tax evasion, as she had not paid the one-cent difference in price between a balcony ticket and a main section ticket.
• Impact and Legacy: Viola Desmond's arrest garnered national attention and galvanized the Canadian black community. Her act of resistance became a symbol of the fight against racial segregation and discrimination in Canada. Although she did not win her appeal against the conviction, her courage inspired civil rights movements across the country.
• Posthumous Recognition: In 2010, 45 years after her death, Viola Desmond was granted a posthumous pardon by the government of Nova Scotia, and an official apology was issued. In 2018, she became the first black woman to be featured alone on a Canadian banknote, appearing on the $10 bill.

Viola Desmond is now recognized as a pioneer of civil rights in Canada and an iconic figure in the struggle against racism and discrimination.