Early Life and Family of Ms. Desmond 

Viola Desmond was raised in a big family with ten siblings. Her parents were well-known members of Halifax's Black community. Her father, James Albert Davis, was raised in a middle-class Black household and worked as a stevedore for several years before becoming a barber. Gwendolin Irene Davis (née Johnson), her mother, was the daughter of a White preacher and his wife who had relocated to Halifax from New Haven, Connecticut.

Desmond desired to be a successful independent businesswoman after being inspired by her parents' example of hard work and community participation. After a brief stint teaching in two racially separated schools for Black kids, she enrolled in a programme of study at the Field Beauty Culture School in Montreal, one of the few such institutions in Canada that accepted Black candidates at the time. She furthered her education at Atlantic City and New York. Desmond established Vi's Studio of Beauty Culture in Halifax to serve the Black community. She established the Desmond School of Beauty Culture to teach women and developed her company throughout the region. (Desmond developed a line of beauty products that were marketed at establishments run by alumni of her beauty school.) Recognizing her responsibility to her community, Desmond established the institution to give training that would aid in the expansion of career opportunities for young Black women. Desmond's school developed fast, attracting pupils from New Brunswick and Quebec. Each year, up to 15 students graduate from the programme.

Viola Desmond wasn't fighting for rights or against discrimination yet but she was always trying her hardest and doing the most she can to aid her fellow members of the black community. Her life was significantly about to change on the evening of November 8th 1946.

Roseland Theatre

Viola Desmond made an unscheduled detour in the little town of New Glasgow on the evening of November 8, 1946, after her automobile broke down on her route to a business meeting in Sydney, Nova Scotia. When she was told that the repair would take many hours, she booked a hotel room and decided to watch a movie to pass the time.

Desmond went to the Roseland Theatre and asked for a seat on the main floor. Instead, the ticket agent gave Desmond a ticket to the balcony, which is usually designated for non-White clients. When she entered the main floor sitting area, she was confronted by the ticket-taker, who informed her that her ticket was for an upstairs seat, from which she would have to relocate. Desmond returned to the cashier, thinking there had been a mistake, and requested her to swap the ticket for one below. “I'm sorry, but I'm not authorized to sell downstairs tickets to you people,” the cashier said. Desmond opted to take a seat on the main floor despite the fact that the cashier was referring to the colour of her skin. The manager, Henry MacNeil, then challenged Desmond, claiming that the theatre had the right to "refuse admittance to any undesirable individual." Desmond pointed out that she had not been denied entrance, but had been sold the ticket, which she still held in her hand.

She went on to say that she tried to swap it for a main floor ticket and was ready to pay the difference in price, but she was turned down. A police officer was summoned after she refused to leave her seat. Desmond was pulled out the theatre, hurting her hip and knee, and transported to jail. Elmo Langille, head of police, and MacNeil met her there, and the two left together, returning an hour later with a warrant for Desmond's arrest. She was then imprisoned in a cell overnight. She was shocked and terrified, but she kept her cool and sat bolt upright all night, as she subsequently described. 

Viola Desmond's Trial 

Viola Desmond was escorted to court in the morning and charged with attempting to cheat the provincial government due to her claimed disobedience to pay a one-cent entertainment tax (i.e., the difference in tax between upstairs and downstairs ticket prices). Despite the fact that she stated when questioned at the theatre that