Viola Desmond refuses to move to the balcony

Viola Desmond went to the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia on November 8, 1946. She sat in a main floor seat and refused to move to the balcony, which was the only place Black patrons were permitted.
She was arrested, dragged out of the theatre, spent a night in jail, and charged with tax evasion for not paying the one-cent difference in the price of the main floor and balcony tickets. Desmond fought the case all the way to the Nova Scotia Supreme Court.
Although unsuccessful, her actions called attention to and helped end the practice of segregation. On November 19, 2018, Desmond became the first Canadian woman to appear alone on a Canadian bank note—a $10 bill. She was also named a National Historic Person in 2018.