Rights activist, Viola Desmond becomes the first Black person to feature on Canadian currency
By Sewe Ishola,
It’s looking like a good month for women, as Canada sets to feature Viola Desmond, a civil rights activist and first Black person on her $10 bill.
Desmond had refused to give up a seat meant for white people at the cinema, and was prosecuted for trying to defraud the provincial government of 1 cent.
She had lost the case and was convicted and fined 26 Canadian dollars, a move which “paved the way for a broader understanding of human rights across our country,” Bill Morneau, the finance minister said.
Desmond becomes the first black person, and the first woman other than a royal, to appear alone on a Canadian currency.
Photo credit: The Canadian Press
