Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged!

In the United States many kids learn about Rose Parks, the African American woman in Montgomery, Alabama who, in 1955, refused to move from the white section at the front of the bus to the Black section at the back. Martin Luther King, Jr. took up her cause and the subsequent boycott of buses in Montgomery made history.

Almost ten years earlier, however, a woman in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia in Canada exhibited similar bravery in an analogous sitin 1946, uation. Viola Desmond went to the movies, but was told she had to move from her seat on the main floor to one on the balcony, because of the movie house’s segregation policy. Viola refused to move, and had to spend the night in jail.

She was fined twenty dollars, equivalent to some $300 show more in current money. She and Black community groups in Nova Scotia tried to appeal her charge, but judges refused to hear the case. “Still,” the author writes, “Viola’s bravery made a big difference. She inspired all kinds of people to fight against segregation, and by the late 1950s it was made against the law.”

Back matter includes “A Glimpse of African Canadian History”

Canadian illustrator Richard Rudnicki Rudnicki uses bright acrylic art which conveys the historical look of the period.

Evaluation: This book for kids aged 6 and over is a good way to illustrate that the race struggles in the US are also common elsewhere, and there are brave heroes standing up for equal treatment all around the globe. show less

Viola Desmond was a black woman who tried to see a movie while in Nova Scotia. Because of segregation, she was forced from her seat by police and taken to court, where she was fined. This outraged her and her community and together they fought for equal rights. I thought this book shined light on a lesser known civil rights activist. I had never heard her story or her name before. I also thought it was interesting to read about segregation struggles that happened in places other than America, which is what people are typically taught about. I wish the book would have went into more detail about Viola Desmond's fight for equal rights, but overall I still enjoyed it.

Overall, I liked this book. It was a little dry and didn't grab my attention the way I thought a book should, but it was informative. The two main things I liked about the book were the illustrations and content of the story.

The illustrations were vivid and bright, the way I envisioned Viola’s personality. I felt this was intentional and added to the emotion of the story, much more so than the words.

Naively, I had never considered that Canada even had a civil rights movement. Canada was where the US slaves fled to for freedom, so I ignorantly assumed Canada was a country who didn't go through the same nasty history as the United States.

This book shed light on the fact that African Canadians had to fight for their rights in the same show more way as African Americans.
The main point of this book was to shed light on a brave woman who stood her ground against unfair treatment. show less

Viola Desmond live in Canada. She owned Vi's Studio beauty parlor. Viola had to attend a meeting and her car randomly broke down. Viola decided to go to the theater while waiting for her car to be fixed. However, it as 1946 and Canada was segregated. Viola found the perfect seat in the theater and the usher asked her to move. Colored people had to sit on the balcony and she was in the whits only section. Viola did not move and she was arrested. Viola was later found guilty in court and had to pay the fine the judge gave her. Viola was mad at the situation and she planned to end segregation in Canada. By the late 1950's segregation was made against the law.

I never realized segregation was once in Canada until I read this book. Viola show more Desmond is part of Canadian history. She is significant because she changed Canadian history when she sat out to end segregation. Viola Desmond's actions reminds me of Rosa Parks.

The accuracy and organization of the book is fine. The book has a rhyme scheme as you read. The book also does not have the best attention grabber when reading the book. The book just reminds me a lot of Rosa Parks. show less

Viola starts the story faced with a small problem which soon escalates to a larger more important problem. Her car breaks down in a small town in Canada so she decides to go see a movie at the local theatre. Not knowing it was a segregated theatre, she sits right in the front which apparently were seats saved for ‘white’ people and not, as the usher says, for “...you people…” But Viola, already having a bad day, decided to take a stand when few others would. Her stand cost her a night in prison and a penalty of $20. After appeals and protests she was still found guilty of “not paying the proper ticket price.” At the end of the day she did not win her battle but she was a role model for future resistance to segregation in show more Canada and by the late 50’s segregation was outlawed. I do wished the book had more content and provided me with more information of background story of her time. show less

A fascinating story from African-Canadian civil rights history about the defiant actions of one woman inspiring others to really against discrimination. Viola Desmond is someone who should included in discussions about Rosa Parks and Claudette Colvin.

I know that this may sound naive of me, but until I read this book, I did not know that segregation happened in Canada. This book was about a young African American lady, Viola Desmond, who sat in the "wrong" area of a movie theater. She was forced to move and was given a ticket. She was part of Canada's African American Right's Movement.