New Canadian money: Black civil rights activist Viola Desmond to be new face of $10 bill
- 7 years ago
CANADA — Canadian currency is about to get a long-overdue facelift, soon to feature the country’s first woman born in Canada.
Before Rosa Parks in Alabama, it was Viola Desmond who stood up to racial segregation in the province of Nova Scotia. In 1946, Desmond was sitting in a whites only section of a movie theatre, when she was told she was supposed to be sitting up in the balcony section with the other colored folk. For her offense, Desmond was arrested and fined, but her fight against the charges was the first for a black woman in Canada.
In 2018, Desmond’s courage at such a critical juncture in Canadian history will be widely recognized, honored as the face of the $10 bill. The current face of the note, Canada’s first prime minister Sir John A. MacDonald, will be promoted to a bill of higher monetary value. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Canada’s first french-speaking prime minister, will also be reassigned to a new bill. He currently remains enshrined on Canada’s $5 note, though his replacement has yet to be named.
Earlier this year, the United States Treasury Department announced that abolitionist Harriet Tubman was to be the new face of the American $20 bill. Recent reports indicate that fears over the incoming Trump Administration possibly reversing the decision could potentially lead to an early debut for the Tubman bill design.
Before Rosa Parks in Alabama, it was Viola Desmond who stood up to racial segregation in the province of Nova Scotia. In 1946, Desmond was sitting in a whites only section of a movie theatre, when she was told she was supposed to be sitting up in the balcony section with the other colored folk. For her offense, Desmond was arrested and fined, but her fight against the charges was the first for a black woman in Canada.
In 2018, Desmond’s courage at such a critical juncture in Canadian history will be widely recognized, honored as the face of the $10 bill. The current face of the note, Canada’s first prime minister Sir John A. MacDonald, will be promoted to a bill of higher monetary value. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Canada’s first french-speaking prime minister, will also be reassigned to a new bill. He currently remains enshrined on Canada’s $5 note, though his replacement has yet to be named.
Earlier this year, the United States Treasury Department announced that abolitionist Harriet Tubman was to be the new face of the American $20 bill. Recent reports indicate that fears over the incoming Trump Administration possibly reversing the decision could potentially lead to an early debut for the Tubman bill design.