Viola Desmond, a black woman who refused to leave the whites-only section of a Canadian movie theatre in 1946, has been honoured on the country’s newest $10 note.

Desmond, who was selected from over 26,000 submissions after the Bank of Canada announced plans to put a woman on its currency, is not only the first woman (apart from a British royal) to be featured on the country’s currency, but also the first black woman.

Born in 1914, Desmond was a businesswoman who sold her own line of hair and beauty products. After her car broke down during a business trip in New Glasgow, she went to the theatre to see a film to kill time. Being short-sighted she tried to buy a ticket for a floor seat, but it was a whites-only section. Desmond was then prosecuted for trying to defraud the provincial government of one cent – the difference in sales tax between a balcony seat (where black people sat) compared to a floor ticket. She was convicted and fined 26 Canadian dollars – including court costs – even though she offered to pay the difference.

Her sister, Wanda Robson, submitted Desmond’s story and unveiled the new note as Desmond died in 1965.

With Desmond on its $10 note, Canada will join several other countries that have made a move toward portraying women on their currency.

You can read more on this story at NYT.

Women’s Daily Dispatch: The news you need to know on 13/3/18