{"id":19969,"date":"2022-04-01T15:24:20","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T19:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blackfashioncanada.ca\/database\/?post_type=cpt_portfolio&p=19969"},"modified":"2026-09-27T13:38:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T17:38:00","slug":"viola-desmond","status":"publish","type":"cpt_portfolio","link":"https:\/\/blackfashioncanada.ca\/database\/fr\/profiles\/viola-desmond\/","title":{"rendered":"Viola Desmond"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t

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Highlights<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In 1946, Desmond was forcibly removed from the Roseland Theatre for sitting on the main floor \u00a0reserved for white people. She was fined for tax evasion<\/span> and jailed overnight with no legal representation.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t
Desmond\u2019s inspiration was Madam C.J. Walker, entrepreneur and philanthropist in the beauty world from the United State<\/span>s.<\/li>\r\n \t
Her hair products included shampoos, press and curl hair styling products, straighteners, chignons, hair pieces and wigs, and \u2018sepomade\u2019, a styling product for men from her brand name \u201cSepia.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t
In the 1940s, Desmond opened The Desmond School of Beauty Culture in Halifax, the first institute that trained Black women in hair and skincare.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul><\/span><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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On the night of November 8, 1946, Viola Desmond, a beautician and entrepreneur, was driving to deliver her beauty products to salons <\/span>around<\/span> New Glasgow<\/span>, Nova Scotia<\/span>. Made by Desmond, the products were her practical solution to a glaring gap in professional hair, skin and beauty care for Black women in Canada. On this fateful <\/span>evening<\/span>, her car broke down, and to pass the time, she visited the local theatre.<\/span><\/p>
What we <\/span>know from that same night is how Desmond refused<\/span> to move from <\/span>the<\/span> designated \u201cwhite<\/span>–<\/span>only\u201d <\/span>seat she had chosen<\/span> on the main floor <\/span>of the theatre<\/span>, defying racist segregation policies and standing up <\/span>against<\/span> injustice. However, this wasn\u2019t Desmond\u2019s first <\/span>stance<\/span> or act of service towards her community. Long before her bravery <\/span>that night<\/span>, Desmond was already a face of change, pioneering and revolutionizing Black hair and beauty care in Canada.\u200b<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Viola Desmond, Peace Broach, 1935, Courtesy of Beaton Institute Archives<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Desmond was born<\/span> in 1914<\/span> in Halifax<\/span>, Nova Scotia,<\/span> to a large, mixed-race family, one of 11 children. Her father, James Albert Davis, was a Canadian of African descent, and her mother, Gwendolin Irene Davis, was the daughter of a white Baptist minister.<\/span><\/p>
\u200bIn Cheryl Thompson\u2019s book on Canada\u2019s Black beauty history,<\/span> Beauty in a Box: Detangling the Roots of Canada\u2019s Black Beauty, <\/span><\/i><\/a>Thompson establishes that Desmond was surrounded by the fundamentals of entrepreneurship. Her grandfather, a barber, founded the Davis Barber Shop in the North End of Halifax. \u201cDesmond was destined to be an entrepreneur,\u201d writes Thompson.<\/span><\/p>
Desmond\u2019s sister, Wanda Robson, writes in her memoir,<\/span> Sister to Courage<\/span><\/i>, that Desmond\u2019s inspiration sparked when she read of Madam C.J. Walker, <\/span>a philanthropist<\/span> and beauty<\/span> entrepreneur in the United States. Determined to follow a similar path, Desmond began her pursuit to become the next Walker.<\/span><\/p>
This<\/span> pursuit was not an easy one. Halifax was a highly segregated city built on institutionalized racism and discrimination. Segregation in schools, theatres and other public spaces was common, and employment for Black communities was restricted. According to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the beauty schools in Nova Scotia barred Desmond from attending because of her race.<\/span><\/p>
This, however, did not stop her. She travelled to Montreal, Quebec, and attended the Field Beauty Culture School, a small institute located on Saint<\/span>–<\/span>Antoine Street. It was one of the few Canadian beauty schools that accepted Black applicants.<\/span><\/p>
\u200bAround this time, Desmond met her husband, <\/span>John<\/span> \u201c<\/span>Jack<\/span>\u201d<\/span> Gordon Desmond<\/span>. B<\/span>orn in New Glasgow, <\/span>he owned <\/span>Jack\u2019s Barber Shop, the first registered Black-owned barber shop located at 136 Gottingen Street. Jack was known as the \u201cKing of Gottingen Street,\u201d where he ran his shop from 1932 through the late <\/span>19<\/span>50s, according to The Signal, a student paper in Halifax.<\/span><\/p>
Desmond furthered her studies by attending Madam Sara Spencer Washington\u2019s Apex College of Beauty Culture in Atlantic City. In 1941, she received her certificate from the Advanced Hairstyling Studio in New York, officially establishing her studies and skills in the field.<\/span><\/p>
\u200bIn between her studies, in 1937, Desmond opened Vi\u2019s Studio of Beauty Culture, located near her husband\u2019s business. Her clients were women who would later become important figures in their communities. Among her customers were Portia White, the first Black Canadian concert opera singer and Gwen Jenkins, the first Black nurse in Nova Scotia. Desmond\u2019s studio became a hub for women to be seen and taken care of.\u200b<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Viola Desmond (right) with husband Jack Desmond, Courtesy of Beaton Institute Archives.png<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cIf racism had not stalled Viola Desmond’s beauty business, instead of drawing comparisons to Rosa Parks, we might be remembering her as a Canadian C.J. Walker,\u201d writes Thompson.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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She began crafting hair and makeup products catered to the care of Black women with her own beauty line, Vi\u2019s Beauty. In an interview with the <\/span>Canadian Museum of History<\/span><\/a>, her sister Robson describes how Desmond would mix powders to match the perfect shade for various skin tones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>
\u201cShe put her name on windows, and she would later put her name on her products\u2013just like Madam C.J. Walker,\u201d Thompson writes, quoting Robson. Desmond\u2019s beauty line \u201cSepia Beauty Products\u201d <\/span>was<\/span> marketed as \u201c<\/span>e<\/span>specially blended to enhance dark complexions.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Viola Desmond, Sepia Face Powder Container (front)<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Viola Desmond, Sepia Face Powder Container (back)<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u200bDesmond\u2019s hair products included shampoos, press<\/span>–<\/span>and<\/span>–<\/span>curl hair styling products, straighteners, chignons, hair pieces and wigs, and \u2018sepomade\u2019, a <\/span>men’s<\/span> styling product from her brand name \u201cSepia.\u201d Thompson writes that Desmond herself was described as \u201celegantly coiffed, fashionably dressed, her nails and hair always done with great care.\u201d<\/span><\/p>
\u200bShe<\/span> understood firsthand the lack of opportunities for Black women in Halifax, having had to travel far simply to earn her beauty accreditation. In the 1940s, she opened The Desmond School of Beauty Culture in Halifax, the first institute that trained Black women in hair and skincare.<\/span><\/p>
In 1945, her first class of students graduated and went on to find employment in Quebec and New Brunswick. According to <\/span>Britannica Encyclopedia<\/span><\/a>, around 15 students graduated from the school each year, encouraging Black women to enter the beauty field, trained and inspired to start their own businesses. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Viola Desmond (second from the left) with graduates from Desmond's School of Beauty Culture, 1947<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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In 1946, <\/span>with her deliveries of beauty products for local salons in tow,<\/span> Desmond\u2019s trip was interrupted when her car broke down. To pass the time while <\/span>the vehicle<\/span> was being repaired, <\/span>she<\/span> went to the Roseland Theatre<\/span> in New Glasgow<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>
Unbeknownst to Desmond, the theatre enforced racial segregation where the main floor seats were reserved for white people while the balcony was \u201c<\/span>c<\/span>oloured <\/span>o<\/span>nly.\u201d <\/span>She<\/span> was then forcibly removed, fined for tax evasion and jailed overnight with no legal representation.<\/span><\/p>
Although Desmond stated she was willing to pay the one-cent tax difference between the balcony and main<\/span>–<\/span>floor seats, the court claimed she refused to pay it and fined her for \u201cattempting to defraud the provincial government.\u201d \u200bIgnoring advice from her husband to let it go, Desmond was encouraged by church leaders Reverend William Pearly Oliver, his wife Pearleen Oliver and the newly formed Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NSAACP) to fight the fine.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>
It was a long legal battle, focused on the racially motivated charge of tax evasion. They lost the case on a technicality when Desmond\u2019s lawyer failed to file the appeal on time. Desmond ended up <\/span>paying the $26 fine,<\/span> which, in the 1940s, was equivalent to paying $600 in 2026.<\/span><\/p>
The financial stress from the legal battle took a toll on her business and personal life, which led Desmond to divorce her husband and close her beauty business and school. She moved to Montreal, where she attended business college, and later settled in New York.<\/span><\/p>
Thompson writes, \u201cDesmond had planned to open a business in New York when she fell ill.\u201d She died at the age of 50 on February 7, 1965, reportedly of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage and is buried at Camp Hill Cemetery in Halifax.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Viola Desmond, The Clarion newspaper clipping, 1946, Courtesy of Beaton Institute Archives<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Influence and Legacy<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cIf racism had not stalled Viola Desmond\u2019s beauty business, instead of drawing comparisons to Rosa Parks, we might be remembering her as a Canadian C.J. Walker,\u201d writes Thompson.<\/span><\/p>
\u200bWhat can be discerned from Desmond\u2019s short but powerful career in the beauty industry is that if it weren\u2019t for the institutionali<\/span>z<\/span>ed segregation and racism prevalent in Canada at the time, she likely would have achieved even greater success. Her name would recall not only her stand at the theatre, but the businesswoman she was first. While her endeavours might have ended far too soon, the impact of her actions still rings strong today.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Viola Desmond (first from the left) with graduates of the Viola Desmond Beauty School<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In 2010, Desmond was officially posthumously pardoned by the Government of Nova Scotia, recognizing the harm and injustice against her. <\/span>Canadians<\/span> began to give her the flowers she deserved in the <\/span>years to follow<\/span>. In 2012, Canada Post created a postal stamp <\/span>featuring<\/span> Desmond, further recognizing her as an important figure in Canadian history.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>
On November 19, 2018, Desmond became the face of the <\/span>Canadian<\/span> $10 bill, further honouring the impact her actions had on her community and the pathways she paved. Aside from the Queen, she was the first Canadian woman to appear alone on a banknote.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>
In 2021, the fine and court cost<\/span>s were<\/span> paid to her <\/span>sister <\/span>Robson, who donated the money towards a scholarship at Cape Breton University<\/span>, continuing Desmond\u2019s belief in education for all<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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This special section creates a spread of 2 photos that will jut out into the side margin.<\/p>\n
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The financial stress from the legal battle took a toll on her business and personal life, which led Desmond to divorce her husband and close her beauty business and school.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Viola Desmond, 10 Dollar Bill, 2012<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Viola Desmond Bursary at Saint Mary\u2019s University was <\/span>also<\/span> established to support African-Nova Scotian students in need of financial aid, focusing on entrepreneurship to forever immortalize Desmond\u2019s dedication <\/span>to<\/span> providing opportunities for Black beauticians and entrepreneurs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>
Additionally, Toronto Metropolitan University established the Viola Desmond Bursary and Day Awards, presented to Black female-identifying students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>
Despite the obstacles she faced,\u00a0 her work as an entrepreneur and activist in the 1940s helped shape a lasting legacy of Black hair and beauty care in Nova Scotia.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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References and related links:<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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https:\/\/thecanadianencyclopedia.ca\/en\/article\/viola-desmond<\/a><\/p><\/li>\n
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https:\/\/aaregistry.org\/story\/viola-desmond-born\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Viola-Desmond#ref1240795<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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https:\/\/archives.novascotia.ca\/desmond\/background\/\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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https:\/\/macgillivraylaw.com\/articles\/did-the-supreme-court-pass-the-buck-on-viola-desmond<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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https:\/\/signalhfx.ca\/barber-to-barber-jack-desmonds-chair-finds-a-home\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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https:\/\/humanrights.ca\/story\/viola-desmond-one-womans-resistance<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n
https:\/\/humanrights.ca\/story\/viola-desmond-one-womans-resistance#:~:text=The%20Story%20of%20Viola%20Desmond%20%E2%80%93%20with%20audio%20description,made%20their%20own%20unofficial%20rules<\/a><\/p><\/li>\n
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https:\/\/www.ambassatours.com\/post\/viola-desmond-a-brief-history#:~:text=Upon%20finishing%20her%20training%2C%20Desmond,black%20nurse%20in%20Nova%20Scotia<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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https:\/\/www.historymuseum.ca\/teachers-zone\/african-nova-scotians-20th-century-canadian-legacies\/civil-rights-in-nova-scotia-the-story-of-viola-desmond\/viola-desmond-entrepreneur\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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https:\/\/nslaureates.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Pages-from-V-Desmond-1.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Archive of images at BFC:<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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