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Carrie Mae Best, ( Prevoe; March 4, 1903 – July 24, 2001) was a Canadian journalist and social activist.


Biography

Carrie was born in
New Glasgow, Nova Scotia New Glasgow is a town in Pictou County, in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated on the banks of the East River of Pictou, which flows into Pictou Harbour, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait. The town's population was 9,075 ...
. She was the daughter of James and Georgina Aubergine Prevoe. In 1925, she married Albert T. Best. Together, they had one son, named James Calbert Best in 1926. They would later adopt 4 foster children: Berma, Emily, Sharon and Aubery Marshall . In 1943, she confronted the racial segregation of the
Roseland Theatre The Roseland Theatre is a landmark theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Originally built for silent films, it is one of the oldest movie theatre buildings in Nova Scotia but it is best known as the location of a human rights case involving Vi ...
in
New Glasgow New Glasgow is a town in Pictou County, in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated on the banks of the East River of Pictou, which flows into Pictou Harbour, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait. The town's population was 9,075 ...
. She purchased two tickets for the downstairs seating of the theatre and attempted to watch a film with her son James Calbert Best. Both were arrested and fought the charges in an attempt to challenge the legal justification of the theatre's segregation. Their case was unsuccessful and they had to pay damages to Roseland's owners. However, the experience helped motivate Carrie Best to found '' The Clarion'' in 1946, the first black-owned and published Nova Scotia newspaper. It became an important voice in exposing racism and exploring the lives of Black Nova Scotians. In the first edition of ''The Clarion'' she broke the story of
Viola Desmond Viola Irene Desmond (July 6, 1914 – February 7, 1965) was a Canadian civil and women's rights activist and businesswoman of Black Nova Scotian descent. In 1946, she challenged racial segregation at a cinema in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia by refu ...
who also challenged racial segregation at the Roseland Theatre and whose story became a milestone human rights case in Canada. In 1952, Carrie Best started a radio show, ''The Quiet Corner'', which was aired for 12 years. From 1968 to 1975 she was a columnist for '' The Pictou Advocate'', a newspaper based in
Pictou, Nova Scotia Pictou ( ; Canadian Gaelic: ''Baile Phiogto'') is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km (6 miles) north of the larger town of New Glasg ...
. Her son James Calbert Best, who helped found ''The Clarion'', went on to become a union activist, senior public servant and high commissioner to
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
. In 1977, she published an autobiography, ''That Lonesome Road''. In 1974, she was made a Member of the
Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...
and was promoted to Officer in 1979. She was posthumously awarded the
Order of Nova Scotia The Order of Nova Scotia (french: Ordre de la Nouvelle-Écosse) is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Instituted on August 2, 2001, when Lieutenant Governor Myra Freeman granted Royal Assent to the Order of Nova ...
in 2002. She is commemorated on a
postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...
issued by
Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (french: Société canadienne des postes), trading as Canada Post (french: Postes Canada), is a Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the opera ...
on February 1, 2011. Best died at the age of 98 of natural causes in her hometown New Glasgow. She was featured in a
Google Doodle A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running an ...
on December 17, 2021.


See also

*
Nova Scotia Heritage Day In most provinces of Canada, the third Monday in February is observed as a regional statutory holiday, typically known in general as Family Day (french: Jour de la famille)—though some provinces use their own names, as they celebrate the day fo ...
*
Black Nova Scotians Black Nova Scotians (also known as African Nova Scotians and Afro-Nova Scotians) are Black Canadians whose ancestors primarily date back to the Colonial United States as slaves or freemen, later arriving in Nova Scotia, Canada, during the 18th ...


References


External links


Order of Canada Citation


{{DEFAULTSORT:Best, Carrie 1903 births 2001 deaths Black Canadian writers Black Nova Scotians Canadian women journalists Journalists from Nova Scotia Members of the Order of Nova Scotia Officers of the Order of Canada People from New Glasgow, Nova Scotia Canadian women non-fiction writers Canadian autobiographers Black Canadian women Writers from Nova Scotia Women autobiographers