In 1946, a remarkable incident for the Person’ rights movement occurred. That year, the Association for the advancement of people of color’s rights organized a fund raise to cover legal defense costs for aesthetician Viola Desmond who was accused of transgressing Nova Scotia’s segregation Policy of theater seat assignment. She won her case!

Even though more subtle forms of segregation still existed, in the 1960s segregation in public places was a thing of the past in Nova Scotia. The following year, Black United Front was created. This organization had the eradication of all forms of segregation as its principal goal. The organization successfully obtained funding from the Federal Government. The Federal Government wanted to put an end to what it perceived as an increasingly growing wave of black militancy.

Around about the same time, a new kind of black leaders – most were recent immigrants from the Indies and Africa – appeared on the Canadian "political" scene. The government had good reasons to worry; especially after a sit-in at Sir George Williams University (today’s Concordia University) ended in the destruction of computer systems.

The message was very clear: by following their American brothers’ example, black Canadians meant to show their fellow Canadian citizen that they would never again settle for the status quo.

Source: National Film Board of Canada