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But now it’s likely Nova Scotians will truly regard the black woman, who nearly 64 years ago refused to leave the white persons section of a New Glasgow movie theatre, as their own Rosa Parks.
On Thursday, the province will officially apologize to Desmond, who died in 1965, and grant a pardon to the pioneering black businesswoman.
She was wrongfully fined and jailed on Nov. 8, 1946, after a New Glasgow police officer dragged her out of the Roseland Theatre. The 32-year-old Halifax beautician had attended a movie to pass the time while her car was being repaired.
But the resulting trauma of her arrest and incarceration didn’t stop Desmond, who certainly wasn’t about to carry any bitterness with her, her sister, Wanda Robson, said Tuesday.
"She basically put it behind her," Robson said in an interview in Halifax, where she’s getting ready for Thursday’s ceremony.
"She was the kind of person (who thought) you’ve got to get on with your life. She didn’t live with it."
Premier Darrell Dexter and Wayn Hamilton, CEO of the Office of African-Nova Scotian Affairs, will attend the event, while Justice Minister Ross Landry will grant the official apology. Known as a Royal Prerogative of Mercy Free Pardon, it was exercised by Lt.-Gov. Mayann Francis, who will also attend.
Unlike a federal pardon, the free pardon is based on the innocence of a person and recognizes a wrongful conviction, the province said.
Robson, 83, who wrote to New Glasgow’s mayor last year asking that her sister be honoured, is ecstatic Desmond will finally be recognized.
"I am overjoyed," said Robson, who lives in North Sydney. "And I really didn’t think I would see the day. (I thought), ‘Well, OK, this may happen.’ I never thought it would go to this extent."
The premier said he asked the lieutenant-governor and the Justice Department to proceed with the apology and free pardon to recognize that an error or injustice took place.
"It looks to set aside an era that has taken place and to right a wrong," Dexter said at Province House on Tuesday.
"It’s a good idea because this was a person who obviously suffered under a system at the time that functioned on the basis of racial intolerance. I think it’s a good thing in this day and age to continue to confirm our commitment to equality."
Robson’s hopes for recognition for her sister had been less grandiose. She thought a plaque could be posted near the New Glasgow library, as the theatre site is now a bar and grill.
Desmond was at first angered and bewildered by what happened to her but didn’t seek notoriety, said Robson, who remembered a group approached her sister to be a Parks-style spokeswoman.
Parks is famous for refusing to obey a bus driver’s order to give up her seat for a white passenger in 1955 in Montgomery, Ala.
Desmond talked to her father and he advised her to do what she truly wanted.
So she continued to follow her path as a businesswoman, operating the only black beauty salon in Halifax and making hair products for black women, Robson said.
News of an official apology and pardon would have been quite a surprise to Desmond, her sister said.
"Not in a million years. She never ever envisioned it," said Robson. "She didn’t do it (refuse to leave theatre) with a foresight of this happening. She had more plans, bigger plans.
"She was constantly trying to help black women. She was a role model, without perhaps realizing it until later on."
Dexter said his government is still considering designating a Viola Desmond Day.
"This in fact is an important part of our history now," he said. "It is something that should be widely talked about.
"One thing with Canadians is that we don’t celebrate our history enough. When you go to the U.S., they do it in a way that we just don’t understand."
Ultimately, Desmond’s actions spoke to a cause, and now Robson hopes that someday there will be a scholarship in her sister’s name.
"To put it simply, (they’re) righting the wrong," said Robson. "That’s what’s been done."
With Jeffrey Simpson, provincial reporter
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