Collection consists of records related to Viola Desmond’s 1946 arrest at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia and her posthumous 2010 free pardon granted by the Government of Nova Scotia. Also included are materials related to Viola Desmond and Wanda Robson’s civil rights work in Nova Scotia, including newspaper clippings and articles, diplomas, certificates, scholarship and bursary documents, a scrapbook and materials related to Robson’s education and published book, Sister to Courage. Included are photographs of the extended Davis family and published books about the Black Nova Scotian experience.
Robson, Wanda EloiseSeries consists of newspaper and magazine clippings, photographs, correspondence, press releases, essays, and copies of diplomas and certificates regarding Viola Desmond's education, career, arrest, pardon and legacy and Wanda Robson's activism and social justice work.
File consists of materials related to Viola Desmond's arrest, including copies of letters from Desmond to the Ministry of Justice, and the posthumous apology and pardon she received in 2010 from the Province of Nova Scotia.
Item is three photocopies of the December 31, 1946 edition of The Clarion newspaper published in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia featuring articles about Viola Desmond's 1946 arrest at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow and her court appeals.
Item is a typewritten copy of the March 3, 1995 article "Desmond Led the Fight Against Racism" by Dean Jobb in The Chronicle Herald. Included on the 3rd page is an email from Wanda Robson and Joe Robson to Sherri Borden Colley, a staff reporter at The Chronicle Herald, asking her for a copy of the Jobb article.
Item is a copy of an email from Adrian Harewood, a CBC reporter, to Wanda Robson and Joe Robson regarding a meeting he had with Mayor Anne Maclean of New Glasgow, Nova Scotia about the legacy of Viola Desmond in New Glasgow and the upcoming 60th anniversary of Desmond's arrest at the Roseland Theatre.
Item is a letter from Ross Landry, Minister of Justice of Nova Scotia, to Wanda Robson thanking her for her work in getting her sister, Viola Desmond, an official apology from the province and a Royal Prerogative of Mercy Free Pardon for her 1946 arrest at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.
Item is a letter from Jay C. Hope, Deputy Minister, Correctional Services for the Province of Ontario, thanking Wanda Robson for approving the use of Viola Desmond's name for a proposed internal grant in the Correctional Services department. The grant would be given to a Correctional Services staff member who makes contributions to diversity and inclusiveness within the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.
Item is a newspaper clipping from The Chronicle Herald titled "Sister: Viola Desmond would appreciate pardon efforts," outlining the efforts of Wanda Robson to have Viola Desmond pardoned 63 years after her arrest at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Also included are two clippings from the front of the paper to advertise the article on page F1.
Item is a newspaper clipping of pages A1 and A2 of The Chronicle Herald from Halifax, Nova Scotia. On page A1, continuing on page A2, is the article, "Innocence Lost: A white child sees reality of racism" about Ian Fraser who witnessed Viola Desmond's arrest at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia in 1946. On page A2 a second article titled, "Nov. 8 could be Viola Desmond Day" outlines a provincial day of honour for Desmond proposed by the Progressive Conservative party.
Item is pages A1 and A2 of The Chronicle Herald from Halifax, Nova Scotia with an article titled, "Historic moment: Doing right by Viola Desmond," announcing that Viola Desmond would get a posthumous apology and pardon for her 1946 arrest at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.
Item is a newspaper clipping of page A10 from the Cape Breton Post titled, "Pardon, apology for black woman guilty of sitting in white theatre section," outlining the official apology and pardon being given to Viola Desmond for her arrest at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia in 1946.
Item is a newspaper clipping from the Globe and Mail titled, "A clean slate for an icon of freedom: N.S. grants apology to 'Canada's Rosa Parks'," regarding the posthumous apology and pardon Viola Desmond received for her 1946 arrest at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.
Item is a newspaper clipping from The Chronicle Herald titled, "Viola's Vindication" regarding the posthumous apology and pardon given to Viola Desmond for her 1946 arrest at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.
Item is a typewritten copy of a letter from Viola Desmond to the federal Minister of Justice in Ottawa, Ontario explaining her 1946 arrest at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia and asking them to grant her a pardon, or, in her words, "vindicate [her] in the eyes of Society."
Item is a newspaper clipping from an unidentified newspaper with a portrait of Viola Desmond and a caption outlining her 1946 arrest at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.
Item is a newspaper clipping from the Metro News in Halifax, Nova Scotia titled, "Province rights a wrong," outlining the official apology and pardon Viola Desmond received posthumously for her 1946 arrest at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.
Item is a newspaper clipping from the Cape Breton Post with a photograph of Lt.-Gov. Mayann Francis unveiling a portrait of Viola Desmond at Government House in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Item is a newspaper clipping of a cartoon created by Cape Breton Ink in the Cape Breton Post featuring Viola Desmond being arrested at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia in the left panel and Rosa Parks being arrested on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama in the right panel.
Item is four pages of the Sunday Herald produced by The Chronicle Herald in Halifax, Nova Scotia with a cover feature on Viola Desmond. The article titled, "The woman behind the story," outlines Viola Desmond's life as a business woman and entrepreneur, her 1946 arrest at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, and her legacy as a Canadian social justice icon.
Item is a photocopy of a newspaper article from the Vancouver Sun by reporter Evelyn C. White about Viola Desmond and her legacy.
Item is a copy of a typewritten letter from M.F. Gallagher, Director of Remission Service at the Department of Justice, in response to a letter from Viola Desmond regarding her 1946 arrest at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. He refers her to the Attorney General of Nova Scotia.
Item is a letter from Viola Desmond to M.F. Gallagher, Director of Remission Service at the Department of Justice, in response to his letter on September 23, 1949. She declares that she did not wish for the Department of Justice to give her clemency, only to either uphold or discredit her 1946 arrest at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.
Item is a copy of a typewritten letter from Viola Desmond to the Attorney General of Nova Scotia regarding her arrest at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia and her legal case.
Item is a copy of a typewritten letter from John A. Y. MacDonald, Deputy Attorney General of Nova Scotia, to Viola Desmond in response to a previous letter about her 1946 arrest at the Roseland Theatre.
Item is a copy of a typewritten letter from Viola Desmond to John A.Y. MacDonald, Deputy Attorney General of Nova Scotia, asking his department to investigate her 1946 arrest at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia and to confirm her claims that her human rights were violated.
Item is a copy of The Beaver: Canada's History Magazine with the article "Ticket to Freedom" about the legacy of Viola Desmond as a civil rights activist on pages 24 to 29. Wanda Robson appears on the cover of the magazine.
Item is a copy of the Cape Breton University (CBU) Alumni Magazine, Distinction, featuring the article "A Story of Two Sisters" about Viola Desmond and Wanda Robson. Wanda Robson and Graham Reynolds are on the cover with Robson holding a copy of Graham's book, Viola Desmond's Canada: A History of Blacks and Racial Segregation in the Promised Land.
File consists of newspaper clippings and a program for the play, 'Other People's Heaven,' which told the story of Viola Desmond's 1946 arrest at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.
Item is a program for the play "Other People's Heaven," about Viola Desmond's 1946 arrest, which was staged at the Firebrand Theatre in Toronto, Ontario.
Item is a newspaper clipping from the The News, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia's newspaper, featuring a photograph from the play about Viola Desmond called "Other People's Heaven," which was being staged in New Glasgow.
Item is a printed copy of newspaper articles from The News, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia's newspaper, with an article titled, "Play about Viola Desmond presented where story began" about the play "Other People's Heaven" that was being staged in New Glasgow. Also included on the page is the article, "Viola Desmond featured on a Canada Post stamp."
File consists of materials for events and presentations that Wanda Robson participated in as part of her social justice work and to promote Viola Desmond's legacy.
Item is a program for "A Special Tribute in Honor of Viola Desmond," which included the dedication of a commemorative bench at the Africentric Heritage Park in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, the unveiling of a heritage interpretive panel about Viola Desmond at Laurie Park in New Glasgow, and the unveiling of a portrait of Desmond in Council Chambers at the New Glasgow Town Hall.
Item is a newspaper clipping from the Cape Breton Post titled, "Mount Carmel students win provincial video award" about a group of grade 6 students from Mount Carmel Elementary School in New Waterford, Nova Scotia who won an award for a video they created about Viola Desmond.
Item is a newspaper clipping from the Cape Breton Post titled, "Mount Carmel students learn about civil rights hero Viola Desmond," regarding a visit by Wanda Robson and Joe Robson to Mount Carmel Elementary School in New Waterford, Nova Scotia to visit a group of students who won an award for a video they created about Viola Desmond.
Item is a copy of the Truro Daily News from Truro, Nova Scotia with an image of Wanda Robson with Colchester Education Centre (CEC) students on the front page. On page 3 of the newspaper is the article, "High school students learn from Desmond's story," about Robson's visit to the high school.
Item is a newspaper clipping from an unidentified newspaper about the Second Biennial Black Canadian Studies Association Conference held in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Viola Desmond is mentioned in the first paragraph of the article.
Item is a newspaper clipping from the Cape Breton Post titled, "Museum to hold storytelling event with Wanda Robson" about an event at the North Sydney Heritage Museum in North Sydney, Nova Scotia where Wanda Robson talked about the legacy of her sister, Viola Desmond.
Item is a program for The 5th Annual Viola Desmond Day Awards Ceremony hosted by The Ryerson Black History Awareness Committee at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario. The program includes an agenda for the awards ceremony and nominee biographies.
Item is a poster advertisement for an event at McConnell Library in Sydney, Nova Scotia to celebrate Nova Scotia's 2015 Heritage Day, which was dedicated to Viola Desmond. Guests at the event included Wanda Robson and Dr. Graham Reynolds.
Item is a press release issued by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba alerting the press to interviews, meet and greets, and a panel being held at the museum with Wanda Robson and Travis Price, founder of Pink Shirt Day, Avery Skog and Robin Wiszowaty. The release includes a schedule of events and biographies for the participants.
Item is a photograph of Wanda Robson standing at her hotel window overlooking the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Robson was taking part in interviews and a panel on social justice taking place at the museum, where a Viola Desmond exhibit was being held.
Item is a program for the 15th Annual Harmony Breakfast held on The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination [at Cape Breton University] in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Wanda Robson was the keynote speaker at the breakfast.
Item is a newspaper clipping from The Chronicle Herald titled, "Rights heroine gets triple tribute," regarding "A Special Tribute in Honor of Viola Desmond" that was held in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia on August 16, 2010. During the day long event, a commemorative bench was dedicated to Desmond at Africentric Heritage Park in New Glasgow, an interpretive panel about Desmond was unveiled in Laurie Park in New Glasgow, and a portrait of Desmond that was commissioned for Government House in Halifax, Nova Scotia was unveiled at New Glasgow's Town Hall.
Item is a newspaper clipping from the Cape Breton Post titled, "Panel discusses racism as Viola Desmond chair in social justice is launched," about the launch of the Viola Desmond Chair in Social Justice at Sydney Academy in Sydney, Nova Scotia. The photograph accompanying the article features, from left to right, Wanda Robson, Kanivannan Chinniah, Dr. Graham Reynolds (the first person to hold the Viola Desmond Chair in Social Justice), Neil MacIsaac, and Yaeesh Sardiwalla.
Item is a newspaper clipping from the Cape Breton Post titled, "Still 'long way to go' to end racism, says Viola Desmond's sister," regarding comments made by Wanda Robson during a panel held at Sydney Academy in Sydney, Nova Scotia to launch the Viola Desmond Chair in Social Justice.
File consists of materials related to Wanda Robson's time as a Bachelor of Arts student at Cape Breton University (CBU) in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Also included is a newspaper article about the honorary Doctor of Letters degree Robson was granted by CBU in 2012.
Item is a typewritten, three-page draft essay with handwritten notes by Wanda Robson about how she became a student at Cape Breton University (CBU), her activism and the work she did to promote the legacy of her sister, Viola Desmond. The essay was printed on the back of information sheets about Crime Stoppers Bingo.
Item is a photocopy of page 212 from "Rise Up Singing" featuring the lyrics and chords to a number of spirituals. A page of handwritten notes about the history of spirituals is attached to the photocopy.
Item is a typewritten letter from Ross Landry, Attorney General of Nova Scotia, to Wanda Robson congratulating her for receiving an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Cape Breton University (CBU).