Photo via Youtube/CBC News
Viola Desmond, a Canadian civil rights hero, is the face of Canada’s new $10 bill. Referred to as the country’s Rosa Parks, Desmond was known for sitting in the whites-only section of a theater in Nova Scotia in 1946 and refusing to leave, resulting in her being jailed, convicted, and fined.
The civil rights pioneer was also a successful businesswoman who had her own line of cosmetics and mentored young black women through her Desmond School of Beauty Culture. Desmond passed away in 1965 at the age of 50 and is the first black person to appear on Canadian currency. Check out the unveiling below!
The African-American abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who earned her place in history by escaping slavery and becoming a Union spy was supposed to claim the same title in the United States, with the addition of her portrait to the $20 bill. Unfortunately, this past January U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said that his department hadn’t yet made up its mind on whether or not they will put Tubman on US currency, CNN reports.
“We haven’t made any decisions on whether we will change the bill or won’t change the bill,” Mnuchin said in an interview at the Economic Club in Washington.
We hope that the United States will take notes from Canada, and give Tubman the honor and recognition that she deserves.
TELL US: Should The United States hurry up and put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill?
Like TV One on Facebook and be sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
