Children’s literature has all kinds of potential to create heroes. There could be no subject more fitting in the realm of mutual respect than a forthcoming book on Viola Desmond.
An incident that brought Desmond back into the spotlight was the pardon posthumously granted this year for an absolutely wrongful and disturbing arrest in 1946. The Halifax businesswoman, who was black, was in the town of New Glasgow, when auto trouble found her taking in a movie at the Roseland Theatre.
She sat in the whites-only section, and when told to move to the balcony where blacks were required to sit in those days of segregation, she refused. Management called the police and she was removed and charged.
Ontario writer Jody Nyasha Warner has used the story as the basis for her first book, “Viola Desmond Won’t Be Budged,” which will see its official launch, fittingly, in New Glasgow. It will take place Aug. 4, 6-8 p.m., in the town’s council chambers.
If we look at the history of this province, the presence and contribution of African Americans date back to colonial times and the move of black Loyalists in the 18th century. Despite the promises of freedom, however, those migrants faced continuing injustices – to the point that a woman in 1946 would be subjected to a law underlining the inequities and the accompanying humiliation.
The comparisons to the first people to stand up for their rights in the American Civil Rights Movement are obvious. But it’s duly noted that Desmond showed she was not about to back down a decade before such other celebrated heroes of the era, such as Rosa Parks, who in 1955 refused to give up a bus seat to a white person.
Desmond has been referred to as an unsung hero – outside this region her story is less known. We hope this book helps change that. This is a woman and story we want our children to know. It delivers a powerful message about what is fair and equal – and the need to stand up for it.
