Black History on the Trans Canada Trail

Highlighting Black Stories on the Trail

February is Black History Month: a time to reflect on the history of Black communities across Canada and throughout the world, to celebrate and recognize the achievements of Black people across the country, and to highlight the lived experiences of these communities. It’s also a time to amplify these stories and bring them into our collective understanding of how Canada came to be: how it developed, and how it grew to what it is today.  

However, we believe that Black history need not be confined to one month a year; rather, it should be part of our daily fabric, as we all work to better understand our collective past. This includes how Black communities were established and thrived despite racist laws and societal injustices. The effects of those injustices continue to be felt to this day.  

This map contains sites of interest relating to Black history both on and adjacent to the Trans Canada Trail, including museums, community centres, places of historical significance and more. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and additional information and resources will be added on an ongoing basis. Check out sites near you, or thousands of kilometres away – it's up to you!  

We will continue to add sites of interest to this story map, so check back for more. 

Monument to Mifflin Wistar Gibbs

Monument to Emma Stark

Rosemary Brown Park

Harry Jerome statue 

Pullman Porter Street

Hogan's Alley

Mile Zero, Alaska Highway

Amber Valley 

King Residence 

Virnetta Anderson Hall 

Shiloh community

Honouring Tree

Pilgrim Baptist Church

Sandwich First Baptist Church 

Buxton National Historic Site & Museum

Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society and Mecca Museum 

Josiah Henson Museum of African Canadian History 

Freedom Trail

Fort Erie

Nathaniel Dett Chapel

Harriet Tubman tribute

Monument to Chloe Cooley

Salem Chapel

Griffin House

Heritage Hall

Oakville Museum

St. Lawrence Hall

African Methodist Episcopal Cemetery 

Union United Church 

Jazz murals

Place Marie-Josèphe-Angélique 

Monument to Toussaint Louverture

L'Afromusée

Monument to Jackie Robinson 

Domestic labour from Guadeloupe 

Plaque for Olivier Le Jeune 

Gordon House

Beaverbrook Art Gallery

Elm Hill

Birthplace of A.B. Walker 

New Brunswick Black History Heritage Centre

The Bog

Black Loyalist Heritage Centre

Mathieu da Costa African Heritage Trail 

Maroon Hill

Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia 

Africville National Historic Site of Canada

Viola’s Way and Monument 

Monument to Mifflin Wistar Gibbs

A few minutes’ walk from the  City of Victoria Trail  in James Bay, a plaque in  Irving Park  pays homage to Mifflin Wistar Gibbs, a recognized leader in Vancouver Island’s early Black community and the first Black person to hold public office in British Columbia when he was elected to Victoria City Council in 1866. 

Monument to Emma Stark

Emily “Emma” Arabella Stark was born in 1856 in California to Sylvia and Louis Stark. Her family came to British Columbia when she was a toddler and settled on Salt Spring Island, home to a small Black community in the 19th century. She attended high school in Nanaimo and became the first Black teacher on Vancouver Island when she took a teaching position at Cranberry-Cedar School in 1874. A plaque in her honour can be found at 331 Wesley Street in Nanaimo. 

Audio recording of Sylvia Stark’s granddaughter, Nadine Sims, discussing the family history:  https://saltspringarchives.com/audio/157_Nadine-Sims.html  

Rosemary Brown Park

A  short detour from the City of Vancouver Trail  in the west end, you’ll find Rosemary Brown Park. Born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1930, Rosemary Brown became the first Black female member of a provincial legislature when she was elected in the riding of Vancouver-Burrard in 1972. She remained in legislature for 14 years and later held positions with the Canadian Women’s Foundation and Ontario Human Rights Commission. She was recognized with an Order of British Columbia and Order of Canada in the mid-1990s. Fun fact: There is also a  recreation centre named in her honour  in Burnaby. 

Harry Jerome statue 

In the heart of Stanley Park, you’ll find a memorial statue for Harry Jerome, a Black track-and-field runner who competed throughout the 1960s. Harry Jerome set a total of seven world records over his career. The bronze sculpture was designed by artist Jack Harman and was unveiled in 1988. 

More resources:  Mighty Jerome 

Photo credit: Laurent Bélanger

Pullman Porter Street

Near Hogan’s Alley – next to the Canadian National train station – Pullman Porter Street pays homage to the role Black sleeping car porters played in the history of the railway and the history of Black labour in Vancouver and across Canada. The 1945 contract between CP Rail and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters signified the first time an agreement was signed between a union organized by Black men and a Canadian company.  

Hogan's Alley

Right along the City of Vancouver Trail in the Strathcona neighbourhood of the city, Hogan’s Alley was home to Vancouver’s first and only Black community in the first half of the 20th century.  Black Strathcona  provides testimonials, history and an  interactive walking tour .  

Mile Zero, Alaska Highway

Over one-third of the soldiers from the U.S. Army Corps were segregated Black troops – approximately 4,000 people – who played a significant role in the construction of the 2,000-kilometre  Alaska Highway , spanning from Dawson Creek, BC, through the Yukon Territory to Alaska, and is now part of the Trans Canada Trail network. Approximately 4,000 Black soldiers worked in Black-only units and were deprived of heavy machinery and adequate housing. Although no official monument exists, you can find records of segregated Black soldiers working on sections of the highway during its construction starting in March 1942.  

www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/95th-engineer-regiment/ 

Amber Valley 

Amber Valley was one of the first Black settlements in Alberta and can be found near the Athabasca Landing Trail in northern Alberta. The community was started in the early 20th century, when a group of Black men from Oklahoma made their way up through Kansas, Manitoba, Edmonton and then to Pine Creek, which was later renamed Amber Valley around 1930. Find newspaper clippings and testimonials about Alberta’s early Black settlements  here.   

King Residence 

A few minutes’ walk from the  City of Calgary Trail , you’ll find the King Residence – the former residence of the King family, including Violet and Theodore King. Violet grew up in the Sunnyside neighbourhood of Calgary. She was the first Black Canadian to obtain a law degree in Alberta, the first Black person who was admitted to the Alberta Bar, and, in 1954, the first Black woman to become a lawyer in Canada. Her brother, Theodore, was a prominent civil rights activist. 

In 2022, the former King Residence was marked with a heritage plaque that recognized it as a site of national significance.  

Virnetta Anderson Hall 

A  couple hundred metres from the City of Calgary – RiverWalk section  of the Trans Canada Trail, you’ll find Virnetta Anderson Hall, named in honour of Calgary’s first Black city councillor. Virnetta Anderson served on city council from October 1974 to October 1977. She was also deeply involved in the community. She served in a number of roles within the United Church, co-founded Meals on Wheels, and served on the board of the United Way, Calgary Centre for the Performing Arts and more. The Virnetta Anderson Hall was dedicated in her honour in 2020. 

Shiloh community

The community of Shiloh was established northeast of Maidstone, Saskatchewan. Today, the community no longer exists, but you can still find the Shiloh Baptist Cemetery and a nearby log building called Shiloh Baptist Church. In the early 20th century, 10 or 12 Black families established the Shiloh colony in the rural municipality of Eldon. At its most populous, approximately 50 to 75 families lived in the community. According to the  Shiloh Baptist Church and Cemetery Restoration Society,  “Although the descendants of the Shiloh people have dispersed across Western Canada, Shiloh Baptist Church still stands today, a visible reminder of the Black pioneer’s faith and desire to build a better life.   Today, descendants of the Shiloh people revere Shiloh Church as a symbol of our ancestor’s pioneer experience in Saskatchewan.” 

Honouring Tree

Just  off the City of Regina Trail section  of the Trans Canada Trail, the Honouring Tree sits in Wascana Park, serving as a symbol of life, legacy and diversity – past and present. This public art project was initiated by the Saskatchewan African Canadian Heritage Museum board and members during the 2010 centennial celebrations to commemorate the 1910 settlement of people with African ancestry in Saskatchewan.

Pilgrim Baptist Church

The oldest Black Church in Winnipeg and one of the oldest in Western Canada, the Pilgrim Baptist Church is just a few blocks from the Trans Canada Trail. The church was founded in 1924 and served as a hub for the Black community in Winnipeg. You can find it a few blocks from the  City of Winnipeg Trail . 

Sandwich First Baptist Church 

Situated on the  City of Windsor Trail , the Sandwich First Baptist Church is the oldest active Black church in Canada. An informal church group was formed in the 1820s by a group of former Black enslaved people, and was led by Henry Brown, John Hubbs and Willis Jackson. The congregation grew, and a log cabin was constructed in 1847 that acted as the church until the present church building was built and dedicated in 1851. 

More resources: 

Buxton National Historic Site & Museum

This museum is situated at the  Elgin Settlement , which was the last stop on the Underground Railroad for many Black refugees from the United States. Founded by Reverend William King, the settlement grew into a self-sufficient community of almost 2,000 people and included the  Buxton Mission School  – reputed for its academic achievements – a saw and grist mill, a pot ash and pearl ash factory, a brick yard and much more. You’ll find it just off the Trans Canada Trail, south of the 401 near Chatham. 

Photo credit: Ken Lund

Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society and Mecca Museum 

Located in the heart of Chatham, this museum was founded in 1994 by the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society. Its displays, artifacts and archives tell stories of Chatham’s Black history from the 1780s to the present, including the region’s history with the Underground Railroad, Black communities in Chatham-Kent and more. You’ll find it on King Street in the centre of Chatham, off the Trans Canada Trail. 

More resources: Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society

Josiah Henson Museum of African Canadian History 

 Reverend Josiah Henson  was one of an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 Black refugees from slavery who fled the United States to Canada along the Underground Railroad. The  Josiah Henson Museum of African Canadian History  celebrates Reverend Henson’s life and work, including his involvement in the establishment of the  Dawn Settlement  in 1841, a community of free Black people founded by abolitionists near what is Dresden, Ontario. The museum can be found directly on the  Municipality of Chatham-Kent Trail . 

Freedom Trail

Just off the  Niagara River Recreation Trail , you’ll find Niagara’s Freedom Trail, which honours the estimated 40,000 enslaved people who came into Canada via the Underground Railroad. Find a plaque honouring the area’s history at 108 Lakeshore Road, Fort Erie. 

Photo credit: Destination Niagara Falls

Fort Erie

At the intersection of the  Friendship Trail  and  Niagara River Recreation Trail , Fort Erie is home to several sites relating to Black history. In the 1840s–1850s, Fort Erie was a transit point for the Underground Railroad. The Fort Erie Beach Hotel was also home to the Niagara Movement, a 1905 gathering led by W.E.B. Du Bois that acted as a precursor to the  NAACP .  

Nathaniel Dett Chapel

Originally named the British Methodist Episcopal Church and built in 1836, then moved in 1856, the chapel served as a religious meeting place for the Black community that was established in the Niagara Falls region in the early 1800s. The building was renamed in 1983 after  Nathaniel Dett , a renowned musician and composer, who was born in Niagara Falls in 1882. The church is believed to still have its original organ from 1897. Find the chapel a few blocks from the  Niagara River Recreation Trail . 

Photo credit: Library of Congress public domain

Harriet Tubman tribute

Located along the  Niagara River Recreation Trail , south of the entrance to the White Water Walk, you’ll find a plaque paying homage to Harriet Tubman, a former enslaved person and famous abolitionist who played a major role in the Underground Railroad.  

Monument to Chloe Cooley

Along the Niagara River Regional Trail at  Queenston Heights , you’ll find a monument to Chloe Cooley. On March 14, 1793, Chloe Cooley, an enslaved Black woman living in Queenston, was bound, thrown in a boat and sold across the river to a new owner in the United States. Two men — Peter Martin, a free Black person and former soldier in Butler’s Rangers, and William Grisley, an employee of the Loyalist enslaver Adam Vrooman — heard her screams and resistance, and recounted the incident to Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe, who moved to abolish slavery in the new province. Despite Simcoe meeting opposition in the House of Assembly, an act was passed on July 9, 1793, that prevented the further introduction of slaves in Upper Canada. It was the first piece of legislation in the British Empire to limit slavery. 

Chloe Cooley was designated a National Historic Person in 2022. 

More resources: 

Salem Chapel

St. Catharines is known as the last stop on the Underground Railroad, and the town had a sizeable Black community by the 1820s. Salem Chapel was a gathering place for the community and still stands today! It 2023, it was added to the  National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom  – the first site outside of the United States to be added. Harriet Tubman lived in St. Catharines in the 1850s and was a member of the congregation. Find it a short walk from the  Laura Secord Legacy Trail . 

Photo credit: City of St. Catharines

Griffin House

Approximately one kilometre off the  Hamilton to Brantford Rail Trail , the  Griffin House National Historic Site  in Ancaster, Ontario, is a preserved 19th-century home that is the former residence of Enerals Griffin, a formerly enslaved person who immigrated to Canada and purchased the home in 1834. The site includes information about Black settlement in the area and provides a glimpse into the life of members of the Black community in Ancaster at the time. 

Photo credit: Graeme Mackay

Heritage Hall

The Guelph British Methodist Episcopal Church was built in 1880 by formerly enslaved Black people and their descendants who settled in the area via the Underground Railroad. No longer a church, the building now acts as a cultural, historical and social centre and is managed by the Guelph Black Heritage Society. Find it a few blocks away from the  City of Guelph Trail . 

Photo credit: Guelph Black Heritage Society (X)

Oakville Museum

Visitors to Oakville can check out the area’s Black history at the Oakville Museum, home to a permanent exhibit entitled “Freedom, Opportunity and Family: Oakville’s Black History.” Learn about Oakville’s history via artifacts, images, text and a video. Find the exhibit at the Erchless Estate, a few steps from the  Waterfront Trail – Oakville section  of the Trans Canada Trail. You can also learn more about the region’s Black history through self-guided  bike tours  and  walking tours . 

St. Lawrence Hall

A short walk from the  Martin Goodman Waterfront Trail , St. Lawrence Hall is a significant site of Black history in Toronto. It was the site of the 1851  North American Convention of Colored People , which was attended by leading abolitionists in Canada and the United States, including Mary Ann Shadd, Henry Bibb, Josiah Hensen and many more. A short stroll away, you’ll find a plaque honouring  Mary Ann Shadd , the first Black woman to publish and edit a newspaper,  The Provincial Freeman . 

Photo credit: City of Toronto

African Methodist Episcopal Cemetery 

Just off the  Oxford County Rail Trails  section of the Trans Canada Trail in Norwich, Ontario, the African Methodist Episcopal Cemetery can be found at the edge of the village of Otterville. It’s the location of a former African Methodist Episcopal Church and the burial site of approximately 140 people – the area’s first Black settlers. The area had a sizeable Black population in the early to mid 1860s, but it declined by the early 1900s, and the church was later demolished. The cemetery site has been restored by the city of Norwich. You’ll find a plaque at the cemetery entrance, commemorating the first Black settlers, their leaders and the area’s history. 

Union United Church 

At the corner of Atwater and rue Delisle, a few blocks’ walk from the  Lieu historique national du Canada du Canal-de-Lachine Trail , you’ll find  Union United Church , the oldest church serving Montreal’s Black community. After a congregation formed in 1907, the current church was built in 1917, in the heart of Montreal’s Little Burgundy neighbourhood – home to 90% of Montreal’s Black community at the time and known as “Harlem of the North.” 

Photo credit: Union United Church

Jazz murals

The Little Burgundy neighbourhood of Montreal was home to the majority of the city’s English-speaking Black community through the mid-20th century. It was also home to a thriving jazz scene, and its history is celebrated with a series of murals. A few blocks from the  Lieu historique national du Canada du Canal-de-Lachine Trail , you’ll find an homage to  Oscar Peterson  at the corner of Saint-Jacques and des Seigneurs, and another to  Oliver Jones  at the corner of Lionel-Groulx and Georges-Vanier. Also in the neighbourhood is the  Parc des Jazzmen , a small city park that recognizes the area’s heritage. 

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/little-burgundy-and-montreal-s-black-english-speaking-community 

https://walkmontreal.com/walks/little-burgundy-jazz-an-alouette-and-a-vanished-neighbourhood/ 

Photo credit: Walk Montreal

Place Marie-Josèphe-Angélique 

Marie-Josèphe Angélique was an enslaved woman who arrived in Montreal in 1725. In 1734, she was accused of starting a fire that spread to several buildings in Old Montreal. In the end, over half of the buildings burned down. Despite little evidence, she was tortured into confessing, then sentenced to death and hanged. You can find Place Marie-Josèphe-Angélique at the corner of Viger and Sainte Élisabeth, on the  Ville de Montréal Trail . Just around the corner from the Trail, at the intersection of Vaudreuil and Sainte-Thérèse, a  plaque was installed  in her honour. 

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/marie-joseph-angelique-who-was 

Monument to Toussaint Louverture

A short walk from the  Ville de Montréal Trail  in downtown Montreal, you’ll find a  monument named for Toussaint Louverture , in the park named in his honour. Toussaint Louverture was a former enslaved person who became the figurehead of the Haitian revolution. He is celebrated as an abolitionist and founding father of Haiti. This monument was created by Haitian Canadian artist  Dominique Dennery  in 2017. In the 1960s and 1970s, thousands of Haitians immigrated to Quebec, fleeing François Duvalier’s government in Haiti. Today, Montreal is home to the  largest Haitian Canadian population  in Canada. 

More resources:

Haitian Diaspora in Quebec: Rhymes and Revolution

https://www.mhaiti.org/web/ 

Photo credit: Ville de Montréal

L'Afromusée

The Afromusée can be found on the Trans Canada Trail, along the  Ville de Montréal Trail . Its mandate is to act as a “living museum that is accessible, mobile and multi-faceted. A welcoming space ... with cultural and intercultural activities; research and reference opportunities; and an online platform that researches, informs, shares discoveries and gives a voice to young afro descendants, as well as to all witnesses of Africanness in all its forms.”  

Monument to Jackie Robinson 

The first Black person to play for Major League Baseball, Jackie Robinson played baseball with the Montreal Royals, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ AAA baseball league, from 1946 to 1947. He went on to play in the major leagues, leading the Dodgers to a World Series title in 1955. A  monument in his honour  can be found at the city’s Olympic Stadium, not too far from the  Ville de Montréal Trail  in Montreal’s east end.  

Photo credit: Gamweb

Domestic labour from Guadeloupe 

In 1911, several  fleets of young Black women from Guadeloupe  were brought to Quebec to work as domestic servants for wealthy businesspeople in Montreal, the Eastern Townships and other areas of the province. One woman, Elisa Ricard, was employed in the residence of E.W. Tobin, M.P., in Bromptonville, in the vicinity of the  Les Grandes-Fourches  section of the Trans Canada Trail. The women were paid an average of $5 per month, a substantially lower amount than the standard for domestic servants at the time. 

More resources:

Plaque for Olivier Le Jeune 

A short walk from the Corridor du Littoral in Quebec City, you’ll find the Séminaire de Québec. This site is also known as the home of Olivier Le Jeune, first recorded enslaved person in Canada. He was also the first person of African descent to have lived permanently in what is now Canada. Olivier Le Jeune was born in Madagascar or on the coast of Guinea. He arrived in Quebec City in 1629 and is thought to have been “given” to Guillaume Couillard. It is believed that Olivier Le Jeune lived at Couillard’s residence until his death in 1654. He was named a  National Historic Person  in 2022. 

www.qchistoryxtours.ca/welcome.html 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdL14IfV3U0 

Gordon House

Directly on the  Woodstock to Fredericton Connector , the Gordon House is part of the  Kings Landing Historic Site . The Gordon House, a replica built in 2009, is the first permanent memorial to Black people in New Brunswick. It is modelled on a  house built and inhabited by James Gordon , who lived with his family on Dunns Crossing Road in the 1830s until his death in 1854. 

Photo credit: CBC News

Beaverbrook Art Gallery

Directly on the  City of Fredericton – Valley and South Riverfront Trails , you’ll find the  Beaverbrook Art Gallery , where you can find a portrait of  Willie O’Ree , the first Black player in the NHL. Born and raised in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Willie O’Ree started his NHL career with the Boston Bruins in 1958. Throughout February 2024, the gallery’s speaker series,  Expressions in Excellence: Voices from Black Artists , shines a spotlight on Black artists in the community. 

Photo credit: Amqui

Elm Hill

Elm Hill, in Queens County, Hampstead, New Brunswick, is one of Canada’s earliest Black settlements. It was originally established in the early 19th century by Black Loyalists. At its peak, approximately 250 residents lived in the farming community – today, fewer than 50 people live there. Located a few kilometres from the  Lower River Passage, Wolastoq River,  the water route along the Trail, you can find plaques in the community paying homage to its history. 

Photo credit: East Coast History

Birthplace of A.B. Walker 

If you happen to be paddling on the  Lower River Passage, Wolastoq River  section of the Trans Canada Trail, you’ll pass the site of the birthplace of the first Canadian-born Black lawyer, A.B. Walker. Abraham Beverley Walker was born in 1851 in Belleisle, New Brunswick, to William Walker and Patience Taylor. In 1881, he was admitted as an attorney of the Supreme Court of New Brunswick and was called to the bar in 1882. He faced racial discrimination in New Brunswick and moved to the United States but later returned. His  headstone can be found  in the city of Saint John. Though no monument to his birthplace exists, the location can be found  via geocache . 

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New Brunswick Black History Heritage Centre

A few minutes’ walk from the  City of Saint John Trail , the  New Brunswick Black History Heritage Centre  is situated on King Street near Canterbury Street. You’ll find information and exhibits on the history of Black communities in the area, plus information about Black history in New Brunswick and the Atlantic provinces.  

The Bog

Located in Charlottetown, off the Trans Canada Trail not far from the  City of Charlottetown Trail ,  the Bog  was home to a significant Black community on the Island, thought to have been established by formerly enslaved people. It was located on Rochford between Euston and Kent Streets. Once home to approximately 200 people, no trace of the neighbourhood remains today. 

Image credit: New York Public Library

Black Loyalist Heritage Centre

Off the Trans Canada Trail – approximately seven kilometres from  Shelburne Rails to Trails  – the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre is situated in Birchtown Bay, historically home to a large free Black settlement in the 1780s. You’ll find a gallery, old schoolhouse, walking trail and more. Learn more about the over 3,000 Black Loyalists who settled in the area, in over 38 communities across Nova Scotia. 

Mathieu da Costa African Heritage Trail 

Named in honour of  Mathieu da Costa , a multilingual interpreter and explorer of African descent who travelled throughout Atlantic Canada in the late 16th century, the Mathieu da Costa African Heritage Trail runs from Windsor to Port Royal in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. You’ll find interpretive panels about Mathieu da Costa and several individuals from Nova Scotian African culture and history, including Rose Fortune and more. Find interpretive panels in Bridgetown, Wolfville and more locations, several of which are near the  Harvest Moon Trailway . 

Maroon Hill

Off the Trans Canada Trail, not far from Middle Sackville near the  Sackville Lake Provincial Park Trails , you’ll find Maroon Hill. In 1796, a group of Maroons, freedom fighters in Jamaica against the colonial British administration, were deported to Nova Scotia in 1796 and settled in Boydville. However, facing harsh weather and other challenges, the majority of the community chose to leave Nova Scotia and move to Sierra Leone in 1800. No plaque or monument has been installed, but the Jamaican Maroons in Nova Scotia were  recognized as a National Historic Event  by Parks Canada in 2022. 

Photo credit: Historic Places

Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia 

Approximately four kilometres from the  Halifax Regional Municipality – Dartmouth Trail , you’ll find the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia. Learn about the establishment of Black communities in Nova Scotia from the Loyalists to the “ later arrivals ” in the Cape Breton area, and beyond.  

Africville National Historic Site of Canada

Approximately five kilometres from the  Halifax Regional Municipality – Halifax Trail , the  Africville National Historic Site of Canada  is now a site of remembrance for Halifax’s African Canadian community. Initially established in the 1830s, Africville was demolished in the 1960s despite protest. Although no original buildings remain, you’ll find the  Africville Museum  and park on site. The  Walking Africville Audio Tour  is a great way to explore and learn more about the area and its history, through the voices of residents from the 1950s and 1960s. 

Photo credit: Parks Canada

Viola’s Way and Monument 

Viola Desmond was born in Halifax in 1914. In 1946, at the Roseland Theatre in  New Glasgow , Viola Desmond was arrested, jailed overnight and fined for refusing to move from her seat in a segregated “whites-only” section of the theatre. She appealed to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia but was unsuccessful. However, her case was highly publicized and helped start the modern civil rights movement in Canada. 

Today, outside the site of the now-closed Roseland Theatre, you’ll find a plaque commemorating the event and recognizing her role in Canada’s human rights history. Just next to the theatre is  Viola’s Way , a pedestrian-only street with a mural in Viola Desmond’s honour. 

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