Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged!

In 1940s Nova Scotia, African Canadian Viola Desmond is en route to a business meeting when her car breaks down. While it is being repaired she decides to go to a movie theatre but when she takes her seat she is told to move because she is in the “white” section of the theatre. Viola won’t budge and her refusal is a protest against unfair segregation that inspires a civil rights movement. This compelling picture book gently introduces students in K-4 to the realities of racial segregation and could be a useful choice for class or school libraries and a class read-aloud to prompt discussions and activities about racism, human rights, and civil rights.