Documentary Screening of Long Road to Justice: The Viola Desmond Story

Join us on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, at 12:00 PM in Marie Fleming Studio at the Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre for a screening of “Long Road to Justice: The Viola Desmond Story”, directed by Brian Murray. (Courtesy: Government of Nova Scotia)

The afternoon will include a screening of the documentary, free refreshments, and a Live chat with the lead performer and director of “Hey Viola!”, a musical exploration of civil rights trailblazer, Viola Desmond—the fearless woman featured on your $10 bill. It is a smashing tour-de-force performance by acclaimed Canadian jazz and blues singer Krystle Dos Santos, directed by Tracey Power.

Viola Irene Desmond (née Davis) was a businesswoman and civil libertarian born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Through her Desmond School of Beauty Culture, she mentored young Black women in Nova Scotia while building her career and business as a beautician.

As a result of her bold refusal to tolerate an act of racial discrimination, Black Nova Scotians who were no longer prepared to live as second-class citizens mobilized for change

Thanks in great part to Desmond and others like her who battled to be recognized as equal humans, segregation in the province was officially abolished in 1954.

Desmond would become the first Canadian woman to be pictured on the front of a Canadian banknote, it was confirmed in December 2016.

Doors open at 11.30 am

Running Time (including Live Chat): 90 minutes with a short break

Seating on a first come first serve basis.

Free Refreshments are provided.

This is a free event. To book a seat, please click here to register.

The Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre presents Hey Viola! on Wednesday, October 4, at 7:30PM. Tickets are $40 for adults, $37 for seniors, and $35 for students with additional discounts available for seats in the first two rows of the theatre. The performance is 80 minutes long with no intermission. Tickets include access to the Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre’s 22nd Birthday Bash celebrations taking place before the show. For tickets, please call 250-549-SHOW (7469) or visit www.vdpac.ca.