For decades, Viola Desmond’s ordeal inspired the emergence of Human rights legislation
and fair accommodation laws throughout Canada during the 1950s and 1960s. The loss
of Viola as a dynamic business role model has denied generations of Black entrepreneurs
of her inspiration in that field. Today Black Business entrepreneurs still feel frustration
and resistance.
Canada celebrates her strength of character in defying social injustice in 1946 Nova
Scotia. As Dr. Martin Luther King Junior wrote in 1963, “…injustice anywhere is a threat
to justice everywhere”. For that, Viola (Davis) Desmond remains a role model and source
of pride for African-Canadians.
Black Canadian Curriculum – ETFO – 2014