Viola Desmond –
In December 2016 Bill Morneau said, “Today is about recognizing the incalculable contribution that all women have had and continue to have in shaping Canada’s story. Viola Desmond’s own story reminds all of us that big change can start with moments of dignity and bravery. She represents courage, strength and determination—qualities we should all aspire to every day.” This was the day it was officially announced that Viola Desmond’s image would be on Canada’s $10 banknote.
A businesswoman, community leader, and courageous fighter against racism Desmond was born in 1914 in Halifax to parents highly involved in the black community.
Initially pursuing a teaching career Desmond developed an interest in cosmetology due to the lack of black hair care products available in Halifax. Not able to attend beauty schools in Halifax due to black restrictions in Halifax’s beauty schools, Desmond traveled to Montreal and eventually the United States to get training. Desmond then opened up a beauty school in Halifax in 1937 so that black women could attend beauty school in their own province. At the same time she worked to launch her own line of beauty products and she and her husband eventually launched a hybrid barbershop and beauty salon together.
We are all aware of the Rosa Parks bus story. Nine years before that Desmond had refused to sit in the black section of a movie theater. While repairs were being done on her car in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Desmond decided to see a film.
“She purchased a ticket at the box office, but when she entered the theater, the usher told her that she had a balcony ticket, not a ticket for the main floor. So, Desmond, who was nearsighted and needed to sit downstairs to see, went back to the ticket booth to correct the situation. The cashier said she wasn’t allowed to sell downstairs tickets to blacks”. Refusing to sit in the balcony Desmond “was roughly forced out of her seat, arrested and held overnight in jail. Because it cost 1 cent more for a main floor ticket than for a balcony ticket, Desmond was charged with tax evasion. For the offense, she paid a $20 fine and $6 in court fees to be released from custody.
Her husband advised her to drop the matter, but the leaders at her place of worship and others urged her to fight for her rights. “Desmond hired a lawyer, Frederick Bissett, to represent her in court. The lawsuit he filed against Roseland Theatre proved unsuccessful because Bissett argued his client was wrongfully accused of tax evasion instead of pointing out that she was discriminated against based on race”.
“Unlike the United States, Jim Crow wasn’t the law of the land in Canada. So, Bissett may have triumphed had he pointed out that this private movie theater attempted to enforce segregated seating…The court case marked the first known legal challenge to segregation presented by a black woman in Canada.”
Dead at age 50 in 1965, Desmond did not see justice in her lifetime. Instead, she received a great deal of negative attention. This likely was part of the reason for her divorce and a move to Montreal and then the States.
On April 14, 2010, the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia issued an official pardon. The pardon recognized that the conviction was wrongful, and Nova Scotia government officials apologized for Desmond’s treatment. Two years later, Desmond was featured on a Canadian Post stamp.
Mary Hecht –
Mary created our club statue, shown here.
1931-2013.
Born NY City;- bachelor degree U. Cincinnati 1952. masters degree University Iowa. Also studied Columbia U. and Camberwell School Art.
Moved to Canada 1960 taught McLaughlin College at York U.
Mary received many grants Ont. Arts Council; Honorary mention Liturgical Art Boston 1976. Received Excalibur Bronze award 1983; 1978- elected to American Society of Contemporary Artists; 1982 elected to Sculptors ’Society of Canada
Diagnosed with MS in later years after many exhibitions worldwide; Continued working despite decreasing ability
Themes: wisdom, strength in adversity, emotional catharsis, and myth from classical and Judaic traditions.
Used lost wax method.
Mary Deacon –
A passionate advocate and leader in the mental health community, Mary has an established track record of bringing people and ideas together for positive change.
Mary has a Bachelor of Arts degree and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Foundation for Canada. She also received the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa from the University of Guelph for her pivotal leadership role in Canadian philanthropy, most notably in the field of mental health.
Mary serves on several boards and is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Mental Health. Over the last 25 year years she has held a series of senior positions in the not-for-profit sector including almost a decade as the inaugural President of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation – Canada’s largest mental health hospital. She resides in Toronto, Canada and has four children. Mary Deacon is Chair of the Bell Let’s Talk mental health initiative, the largest-ever corporate initiative of its kind in Canada. Over the course of the next 5 years Bell has committed at least $100 million to support new mental health research, workplace best practices, improved care and access, and anti-stigma programs including Bell Let’s Talk Day. Mary assumed her role as Chair after a long and successful career in the philanthropic sector.
Amelia Douglas (1812-1890) –
Amelia was a Métis woman significant in the early history of Canada as the wife of the first governor of the Colony of British Columbia. She gave birth to thirteen children, raising six to adulthood. Her children were brought up in the Victorian European style, though she insured that they were schooled in the cultural heritage of their First Nations ancestors. In 1992, Douglas College, in New Westminster opened an art gallery named in her honor.
Charlotte Monture (1890-1996) –
Charlotte was the first Native Canadian registered nurse who had to train in the USA. She worked as an elementary school nurse, but left that job in 1917 to join the Army Nurse Corps. She served in France at a military hospital. She was one of only fourteen Native Canadian women who served as members of the Army Nurse Corps during World War I.
Addie Aylestock (1909-1998) –
Addie became the first ordained woman minister of the British Methodist Episcopal Church and the first African-Canadian woman minister in Canada. Aylestock was able to develop Ontario BME congregations in Fort Erie, Guelph, Owen Sound, Niagara Falls, North Buxton and St Catharines as well as congregations in Montreal and Halifax.
Marie Curtis (1912-2006) –
Marie became president of the Home and School Association and successfully lobbied for kindergarten classes to be brought to the community. In 1953 she was elected reeve of Long Branch and in 1954 she became a member of the first Metropolitan Toronto Council where she became the first woman to sit on Metro Council’s executive committee. She is best remembered for her deep involvement in the creation of a regional parkland system.
Dorothy Ley (1924-1994) –
Dorothy became an internationally respected oncologist, treating terminally ill cancer patients with compassion and care. This led to a quest for a more personal and loving alternative to end-of-life care. In 1991 she helped to establish the Canadian Palliative Care Foundation. She was the First Chair of the Board of Directors of The Dorothy Ley Hospice inn Etobicoke.
Jean Augustine
Jean Augustine (1937-) – became the first African Canadian woman to sit as an MP in the House of Commons in 1993. She led a motion that created Black History month in Canada. After leaving politics, Jean became Ontario’s first Fairness Commissioner, a position created to advocate for Canadians with foreign professional credentials. She has also established the Jean Augustine Centre for Young Women’s Empowerment in Etobicoke and she is still President.