Good afternoon – Thank you for the opportunity to speak today regarding my Great Aunt, Viola Irene Davis Desmond.
I bring greetings from my mother, Jean Clayton in Nova Scotia. You may recall I presented Mom with a Paul Harris when I was a member of Calgary West.
Viola was my Mother’s Aunt, and I will share some of my Mother’s recollections shortly.
Giving honor where honour is due – Viola Irene Davis Desmond is celebrated as –
- The first Black woman whose image graces the Canadian ten-dollar bill and a Canadian commemorative stamp
- One of the ferries in the Halifax Dartmouth Transit system is named the Viola Desmond
- The tireless work of her sister Wanda Davis Robson resulted in Viola becoming the first Canadian honoured with a posthumous free pardon and apology by the Province of Nova Scotia – a free pardon is based on innocence and recognizes that a conviction was in error – a free pardon is an extraordinary remedy and is considered only in the rarest of circumstances –
- The centerpiece of books, plays and films
- Scholarships at two Atlantic Canadian universities bear her name
- Cape Breton University is home of the Viola Desmond Chair of Social Justice
- Several schools in Ontario are named in her honour
- And her portrait is on permanent display in Province House in Halifax
- This is part of the legacy of Viola Irene Davis Desmond
Viola Desmond was born in Halifax in 1914. She was raised with her ten siblings by her interracial parents James and Gwendolin Davis. James was Black, Gwendolin was white. Despite their mixed marriage, the Davis family was highly respected in Nova Scotia’s Black community. They were members of the Criterion Club. According to older Black Nova Scotian friends who remember the club, it was a big deal and you had arrived when you were invited to join the Criterion Club! The Criterion Club was an active social and philanthropic organization for Negros in Halifax whose membership was limited to 12 couples. This is a photo of an annual dinner with guests in attendance.
An excellent student, upon graduation Great Aunt Viola began a short teaching career in the segregated school system in Nova Scotia. She worked in the historic Black Nova Scotia communities of North Preston and Upper Hammonds Plains to raise money to pursue her first love – a career in business – specifically beauty culture. During this time, she also purchased properties, renovating then selling them to secure funds.
She studied in Montreal at the Field Beauty Culture School, which was one of the few Canadian schools that accepted Black applicants. She furthered her education with studies in Atlantic City and New York before returning to Halifax to open Vi’s Studio of Beauty Culture – a beauty parlour specializing in Black hair. She was a determined woman with a highly focused vision. Unselfish and racially proud, a vital part of her dream was to train and equip Black women to become small business owners offering hairdressing services from their homes. In an era when employment opportunities for Black women were limited to domestic or clerical work, her vision was needed.
Her vision bore fruit – allowing her to expand her business across the province.In addition to the beauty parlour, she opened the Desmond School of Beauty Culture and created a line of cosmetics which many of her graduates sold in their parlours.
The graduation ceremonies of the Desmond School of Beauty Culture were a red letter day in the lives of the graduates. As the program indicates, the ceremonies were meticulously planned and included a class flower, and class colours. Graduates wore caps and gowns, with floral bouquets and diplomas to mark their success. Leaders of the Halifax Black community and other dignitaries participated. An invitation to a graduation ceremony was a coveted item.
On the evening of November 8, 1946, nine years before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama; Great Aunt Viola’s 1940 Dodge four door sedan broke down in the town of New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. She was enroute from Halifax to Sydney, Nova Scotia to deliver products and make sales calls. That she undertook this trip on her own, shows her true grit. Driving time today from Halifax to Sydney is about 4.5 hours, on divided four lane highways, with services aplenty, and the Canso Causeway seamlessly connecting mainland Nova Scotia to Cape Breton Island. 75 years ago, in November, on circuitous two lane roads, limited services and with a ferry ride instead of the causeway, the trip must have been daunting.
As her car would not be ready until morning, she booked a hotel and planned to see a movie after dinner. She chose “The Dark Mirror” starring Olivia DeHavilland that was playing at the Roseland Theatre. She paid for a ticket and went inside. The theatre had a main floor and a balcony. Viola sat on the main floor because her eyesight was poor and she needed to be close to the screen. Just as the movie started to play, she felt a tap on her shoulder. A staff person told her she could not sit there. Her ticket was for the balcony. Viola went back to the ticket booth. She asked for a ticket for the main floor. The ticket seller said, “We don’t sell tickets on the main floor to you people.” That’s when she realized that the balcony was for black people. The main floor was for white people. Viola said that she could not see from the balcony. She put the extra money for a main floor ticket on the counter. The ticket seller would not take it, but she went back to her seat anyway.
That’s when the manager came. He told her to move to the balcony, or he would call the police. Viola told him to go ahead. She was not moving. She was doing nothing wrong. Sure enough, the police came. They asked her one more time to move. Viola said no. So, the police grabbed her by the arms and dragged her from the theatre. In the process, she injured her hip and leg, lost a shoe and her handbag. A bystander returned her shoe and handbag as she was being led to the police car.
The police took Viola to prison where she was placed in a cell next to the men’s cell with no privacy. By her account, she sat awake; bolt upright the entire night, never losing her composure. The next day, she was taken to court. No one had told her she could call a lawyer, so she had to argue for herself. She did not know how courtrooms worked, and she was found guilty and fined $26.00. She returned to her home in Halifax after the court decision. She was examined by her doctor, who encouraged her to pursue further legal action.
Her husband begged her to forget about what had happened and move on. Her husband refused to accompany her to court as she sought justice. Viola contacted a lawyer to try to remove the charges. Lawyer Frederick Bissett acted on her behalf. Instead of calling on the violation of her civil rights and rights to a fair trial, he tried to establish that the manager had acted unlawfully when he forcefully removed her from the theatre. This would entitle her to compensation on the grounds of assault, malicious prosecution, and false imprisonment. Sadly, she lost once more. Her appeal was taken to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, where she was unable to remove her conviction. Her lawyer did not accept payment and the funds that had been raised within the entire Nova Scotia community were used to support the organization of the Nova Scotia chapter of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). This brought people together to fight for equal rights in Nova Scotia. They kept up the battle, and, in 1954, the province finally overturned laws that made it legal to treat black people differently from white people.
People of colour are now equal under the laws of Canada. However, sadly, racism is still alive in some Canadians’ hearts and minds. Great Aunt Viola was 32 years of age when the Roseland incident occurred. The uncomfortable spotlight of public notoriety, the lost appeal, being man-handled and injured, the frustrating injustice of it all and the lack of support from her husband combined to distract and discourage her. But it speaks to her resilience, courage and perseverance that she continued on, graduating 15 students from the Desmond School of Beauty Culture in 1947 – eight months after the Roseland incident.
What kind of individual was Viola Desmond - because she was so much more than the beautician the Roseland incident propelled into the limelight.
In my Mother’s words –
“Aunt Viola‘s keen intellect, strength and independence served her well as she pursued her dreams. A loving Aunt to our family and our Mother’s caring friend and sister-in-law as it was always special when she came to our home. Our family included seven girls and four boys. Caring for the unruly hair of the girls was not an easy task for my Mother. Aunt Viola offered to shampoo and style our hair from time to time despite her busy schedule. We kept track of each appointment so we would be ready when our time came. We loved her, not only because she was pretty and glamorous, but because she was so nice and patient with us.
I will always cherish Aunt Viola’s love and compassion. I was 13 when my big sister Joyce died at the age of 19 in June 1946. I adored my big sister, and it was difficult to accept her death. Maybe to convince myself, I decided to visit the funeral parlor on my own, hoping no one else would be there. So, with some trepidation, I entered the funeral parlor and was surprised to see Aunt Viola leaning over the casket slowly curling Joyce’s hair, tears streaming down her face. No one else was present – it was clear that Aunt Viola had not seen me, so I quietly closed the door and left. My late sister was tall and pretty, fastidious in her appearance. Knowing our Joyce well and sensitive to her wishes, Aunt Viola voluntarily provided our sister with this last, tender expression of her love.
The Roseland incident occurred five months later, and I recall there was much concern and conversation about it. Feeling ran high; my parents sided with and supported Aunt Viola.
During my teen years, my mother was hospitalized often and only allowed home occasionally. Now the oldest girl, I took care of my six younger siblings while continuing my high school education. I wanted to be the first in our family to graduate high school, and despite my Mother expressing concern that perhaps I should drop out of school, she gave her blessing to continue even though it was difficult.
Aunt Viola encouraged me greatly during this period with her quiet words of support and acts of kindness. She was a model of the power of education, perseverance, sacrifice and working to help others achieve their dreams. Aunt Viola always treated me like I was a person of great value, and she discussed topics with me that were, quite frankly, a little over my head at the time. She once gave me a large brown book on psychology and said I should read it as it would provide insight into how people think. She thought this would serve me in my future endeavors, and she was correct.
My educational perseverance paid off and graduation day was not far off. We could not afford to buy a graduation gown; however, my mother advised me to buy a gown pattern, material and ask Mrs. Gwendolin Davis, Aunt Vi’s Mother a local seamstress to make my gown. She made me a lovely white gown and refused to accept payment. I will always cherish her kindness and understanding. Aunt Viola styled my hair for the occasion. On graduation day I visited Mother in the hospital wearing my gown. The pride and joy in my mother’s eyes was worth it all – I was the first in our family to graduate high school! I am 90 years of age and I still have my graduation photo in a place of honour in my home.”
In closing, Viola Desmond’s achievements were significant despite the racial strictures of her era and her relatively short life. She set a fine example for any young person to emulate.
Giving honour where honour is due – Viola Irene Davis Desmond provided hope, help and opportunities to women of colour – much needed then and, still needed today. She stood up against racism with dignity and grace and her legacy lives on for future generations to emulate.
Shelley ended her speech and President Linda Anderson opened the opportunity for questions.
Viola‘s husband did not support his wife at the time? No he did not support her. His name was John (Jack) Desmond and he was a barber. He eventually left Viola but, on his death, his wish was to be buried next to Viola at the Campville Cemetery, where most of the blacks are buried on the edge of the cemetery and the whites in the centre part. Shelley remarked segregation even in death.
Thanks, from the club was delivered by Kathryn Kladstead and a donation will be made to Shelterbox on Shelley’s behalf. Tim Anderson also had a personal thank you and presented a book, Starry Messenger, written by Neil deGrasse Tyson, a black American astrophysicist and science communicator.
Mad Minutes
Three Weeks of Giving – Kurt Schurer
The survey is in, and 3 Charities have been chosen for the 3 weeks of giving. Each champion which is noted here will be sending out a special email to let you know what gifts best suit the organization we have chosen to support.
Week #1 – Can Learn – Bill Quinney
Week #2 – Children’s Cottage – Judy Cochran
Week #3 – The Doorway – Bill Fitzsimmons
Kurt also announced that they are looking for projects for the Local Community Service. The club has a good amount of money to spend in our community. They would like to see more projects championed by our female members. A Doodle survey to be circulated to the membership in the future to decide on the project to be supported. Thanks to Dan Doherty for circulating the Doodle Surveys.
Ukrainian Family in Need Here in Calgary- Natalja Reljic
Natalja contributed that her family is providing housing for a Ukrainian family in need. This family includes a mother and 2 children, one only 2 years old. This family has a need for a car and Natalja planted a seed for individuals in the club to help fund the purchase of a used car for the families use. If you are interested in helping, please contact Natalja for more information.
Stan Rogers Tribute in support of Rotary Club of Cochrane’s Himat Project in Northern Pakistan – Steve Rickard
Come and join us at the Ironwood tonight, Monday, November 28, 7 pm and support a great project at the same time. See Steve for tickets.
Movember – Moustache, Whiskers & A Haircut – Duncan Stanners
Duncan is growing his beard and moustache again this year to raise funds for prostate cancer, men’s wellness and mental health and dedicating these funds for members in the club who have experienced prostrate cancer. Duncan will circulate the webpage for donations to Movember. He will also donate his hair next week to help make wigs for those experiencing hair loss due to cancer treatment. Donations to be received in support of a water project in Honduras.
Casa de Esperanza – submitted by Dan Doherty
Hola mi amigos
We just received confirmation of our commitment to Build 3 Homes of Hope April 17th 2023
Marlene and I would like to host an information night at our home to strategize building our teams out and confirming funding on the 3 homes.
Wednesday November 30th
6:30 pm
212 Clearwater Way
403.519.5796
Hasta Luego
Marlene and Dan
Announcements
Back to President Linda Anderson to announce.
- Thanks to Steve Kuiack for arranging the visit to Sacred Space at Calgary Police Service. It was very enlightening.
- Thank you to all who volunteered at Feed the Hungry. Giving your time is very much appreciated.
- Remember to Register for the Christmas Brunch at Pinebrook – December 11 Adults $60/Children under 12 and under $30. Deadline is Dec 4. See Chris Ritter regarding payment.
- Downtown Calgary Rotary Club has taken over the large book sale – Calgary Reads Big Book Sale. If you would like to get involved Manon Mitchell is the contact at the Calgary Rotary Club.
- Next week Tom Keenan speaks about Technology in Society
The Four Way Test Video was played, and President Linda completed with the following.
THOUGHT: “Joy can only be real if people look upon their life as a service and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness.” – Leo Tolstoy
THE END
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