She was brought up in a large family, including 10

siblings, and her parents were highly regarded within

the Black community in Halifax. Her father, James
Albert Davis, was raised in a middle-class Black family
and had worked for a number of years as a stevedore
before establishing himself as a barber. Her mother,
Gwendolin Irene (née Johnson) Davis, was the daughter
of a white minister and his wife who had moved to
Halifax from New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. Although
racial mixing was not uncommon in early 20th-century
Halifax, intermarriage was a rare occurrence.
Nonetheless, her parents were accepted into the Black
community, where they became active and prominent
members of various community organizations.
Motivated by her parents’ example of hard work and
community involvement, Desmond aspired to success as
an independent businesswoman. After a short period
teaching in two racially segregated schools for Black
students, she began a program of study at the Field
Beauty Culture School in Montreal, one of the few such
institutions in Canada at the time that accepted Black
applicants. She continued her training in the U.S.,
in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and in New York. Desmond
opened Vi’s Studio of Beauty Culture in Halifax, catering
to the Black community.