New Viola Desmond bank note shines spotlight on Halifax’s historic north end
HALIFAX — The new Canadian bank note honouring Viola Desmond had a satisfying surprise for many African-Nova Scotians: an unexpected shout-out to Halifax’s historic north end, home to one of Canada’s oldest black communities.
“I’m ecstatic about it,” said Irvine Carvery, a prominent north ender who was thrilled to discover when the $10 bill was unveiled last week that it included a map of the community he has lived in his whole life.
“I just think it’s a wonderful way to advertise the north end and the people that live in the north end.”
The bill cements Desmond’s status as a civil rights icon for her refusal to leave the whites-only section of a movie theatre while visiting New Glasgow, N.S., in 1946.