It should be noted that segregation in Nova Scotia was illegal and not reinforced by
legal statutes as it was in the United States. The segregation that did take place was
“understood” to be the way and varied substantially from one community to another.
Viola went back to her work at her salon and the class of students that she currently
was training. In contrast to Rosa Parks, Viola did not become an activist for the cause.
She went on with her life. Viola died at age 50 in 1965 in her New York apartment from
intestinal bleeding.
A full account of the court proceedings and some of Viola’s family background can be
found in
Backhouse, Constance, Color Coded a Legal History of Racism in Canada, 1900 to
1950. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999.
The information is also available at this site: constancebackhouse.ca/fileadmin/
publicationlist/Racial_Segregation_in_Canadian_Legal_History_-_part_1.pdf
Further information about Viola Desmond and Black History in Nova Scotia can be found
in The Times of African Nova Scotians, Nova Scotia School Book Bureau, stock code
25668.
Black Canadian Curriculum – ETFO – 2014