Toward a New Direction
Today, we celebrate Viola Desmond as the first Canadian-born woman to be singularly represented on our national currency. The newly designed bill incorporates the themes of human rights and social justice and its vertical, as opposed to traditional horizontal format, symbolizes that Canada is moving forward in a new direction, away from the injustices of the past. The bill is a lasting tribute to Viola Desmond’s courage in the face of injustice and her achievement as a pioneer Black businesswoman. We should keep in mind, however, that her rise to national prominence is only a very recent development.
Following the publicity surrounding her wrongful arrest in 1946, and her subsequent court action, the Roseland Theatre incident faded from public consciousness. In 2010, sixty-four years later, the Nova Scotia government issued a free pardon to Viola Desmond, posthumously, and offered an official apology to her family and to the entire Black community. This historic action on the part of the Nova Scotia legislature brought the public’s attention to the long-forgotten practice of racial segregation in Nova Scotia and elsewhere in Canada. With the release of the new $10 banknote, the image of Viola Desmond will be a permanent reminder of this all-but-forgotten chapter in Canadian history. But the struggle for racial equality in Canada is by no means over. Although many overt forms of racial segregation ended in the late 1960s, the culture of racism still exists in Canada today. Racial hatred is never very far below the surface, and it sometimes erupts unexpectedly in our schools, during sporting events and on our streets. In the wake of the recent disturbing resurgence of white supremacist groups in the United States and in other countries, there are signs that similar groups and hate crimes are also on the rise in Canada.1
In addition to the obvious threat posed by hate groups, Black men and women are also subject to more subtle forms of racial discrimination in the daily interactions that take place in the workplace and in public spaces. In Halifax and Toronto, Blacks are three times more likely to be asked for identification (carded) by the police.2 In supermarkets, shopping malls, restaurants and hotels, Blacks are also subject to a similar practice of racial profiling. In 2013, the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission released a report indicating that nearly 80 percent of the Black population in the province had experienced some form of consumer racial profiling during the previous twelve months. These incidents ranged from being ignored or given slow service to more blatant acts such as being refused service, verbal abuse, wrongful detention, search and arrest.3
It is clear that, in spite of the progress that has been made since the era of racial segregation, for many Blacks today, racial discrimination is still a recurring, routine and everyday experience. Overcoming racism and honouring the legacy of Viola Desmond will require a full acknowledgement of the problem and a continuing social dialogue about race and race relations in Canada.