New Vaughan school to be named after civil rights 'icon' Viola Desmond

'Viola Desmond is a Canadian hero,' York Region District School Board trustee Dr. Elizabeth Sinclair says

Yorkregion.com
June 17, 2019
Dina Al-Shibeeb

In late April, Canada’s $10 bill featuring Nova Scotia civil rights pioneer Viola Desmond was named the best in the world by the International Bank Note Society.

But here up close in Vaughan, the memory of late Desmond, who played a seminal role in Canada's civil rights movement, is also making some news locally.

A new elementary school in Vaughan will be named after the Canadian civil rights activist. The new school will open in the fall and be located at the intersection of Farrell Road and Via Romano Boulevard.

“It is an honour and a privilege to name one of our schools after a Canadian civil rights icon,” said Board Chair, Corrie McBain. “The experience of Viola Desmond reminds us of the history of black Canadians in our country.”

“Viola Desmond is a Canadian hero,” said trustee Dr. Elizabeth Sinclair, who represents Vaughan Wards 3 and 4 where the school will be built. “To be able to recognize her contributions to dismantling racial segregation and inequality is a great honour and central to the Board’s Multi-Year Strategic Plan priority of championing equity and inclusivity.”

Desmond -- a teacher and an entrepreneur -- operated a training academy for young black women who were often excluded from local programs. In 1946, Viola Desmond challenged racial discrimination at a Nova Scotia cinema by refusing to leave an area designated for white persons. The police forcibly removed her, injured her hip and held her overnight in prison. Desmond was then fined and charged with defrauding the Government of Nova Scotia. After this experience, Desmond protested against the Nova Scotia government’s charges which stemmed from racial discrimination.

In 2010, Desmond received a posthumous free pardon from the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia and in November 2018 she became the first Canadian woman to appear alone on the $10 bill.