Thursday, December 8, 2016

Viola Desmond - Rise Above The Ashes



www.capebretonbooks.com and is distributed to bookstores everywhere by Nimbus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-895415-34-6



I did a jump for joy after hearing this morning, as many Canadians and Nova Scotians did today the announcement made that Viola Davis Desmond would be the first Canadian woman to be on our 10 dollar bank note. But more importantly what I was really happy knowing that this event will help to educate others about just who Viola Desmond was. Canadians and perhaps many others through out the world will know why she was such an important and courageous pioneer and the contribution she made to social justice and civil rights in Canada.

Many people including myself have been unaware that she preceded Rosa Parks and her activism by nine years, and contrary to the statement, that Viola Desmond is Canada's Rosa Parks, Voila Desmond is not Canada's Rosa Parks.

Viola's younger sister Wanda Robson wrote a book about her sister entitled Sister of Courage and Canadian activist Faith Nolan wrote a song about Viola. There was also a book written by Jody Nyasha Warner and illustrated by Richard Rudnicki. As well, Graham Reynolds, Professor Emeritus at Cape Breton University Reynolds wrote Viola Desmond's Canada.






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