009 Viola Desmond, The Dark Mirror (1946) and The Roseland Theatre

Sometimes, motion picture theatres are the place where all manner of people come together and enjoy the shared cultural stories via this amazing art form.  And, sometimes they are the scene of racially motivated acts of intolerance.  Viola Desmond was waiting on car repairs when she decided to see The Dark Mirror at the Roseland Theatre in the fall of 1946.  Little did she know that the 30 cent ticket she purchased and her refusal to sit in the "proper place" in a segregated auditorium would start a chain reaction of civil rights milestones that would go all the way to the Canadian Supreme Court.

Sometimes, motion picture theatres are the place where all manner of people come together and enjoy the shared cultural stories via this amazing art form.  And, sometimes they are the scene of racially motivated acts of intolerance.  Viola Desmond was waiting on car repairs when she decided to see The Dark Mirror at the Roseland Theatre in the fall of 1946.  Little did she know that the 30 cent ticket she purchased and her refusal to sit in the “proper place” in a segregated auditorium would start a chain reaction of civil rights milestones that would go all the way to the Canadian Supreme Court.