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Viola Desmond

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The Resume

    (July 6, 1904-February 7, 1965)
    Born in Halifax, Canada
    Canadian civil rights icon
    Operated her own hair salon, in Halifax
    Arrested for refusing to leave a whites-only area of the Roseland Theatre (November 8, 1946)
    Convicted on a minor tax violation over a one cent seat grade difference (1947)

Why she might be annoying:

    Her maiden name was Viola Davis!
    The Bank of Canada received criticism from some claiming that they had attempted to 'whitewash' her appearance on the ten dollar bill, making her look like a blonde white woman.
    She has been called Canada's own version of Rosa Parks despite committing her act of civil disobedience nearly eight years earlier.
    The incident occurred while mechanics worked on her 1940 Dodge sedan (she went to see an Olivia De Havilland movie at a nearby segregated theater down the street).

Why she might not be annoying:

    She manufactured a line of local beauty products in her name.
    She injured her knee and hip when she was forcibly removed from the theater by police, spending the night in jail.
    She was fined for tax evasion over a $.01 cent tax that she’d offered to pay.
    She fought the case in court, sparking a nationwide debate about desegregation.
    After the trial, she was forced to close her business and move to Montreal, dying in obscurity of a gastro hemorrhage.
    Her Desmond School of Beauty Culture was the first in Halifax to admit black women.
    She was the first woman (of any color) to be featured on a Canadian dollar bill.
    Her $10 bill is first Canadian bank note to be oriented vertically.
    She was officially pardoned in 2010, and a posthumous apology was issued by Nova Scotia’s lieutenant-governor.
    She said: 'Do your little bit of good where you are. It’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.'

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 10 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 41.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 75 Votes: 42.67% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 24 Votes: 50.0% Annoying