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

Biography

Carrie was born in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. She was the daughter of James Prevoe and Georgina Prevoe. In 1925, she married Albert T. Best. They had one son, named James Calbert Best in 1926. They later adopted four foster children: Berma, Emily, Sharon and Aubery Marshall . In 1943, she confronted the racial segregation of the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow. 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 r ...

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. Her son James Calbert Best, who helped found ''The Clarion'', became a union activist, senior public servant and high commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago. In 1977, she published the autobiography ''That Lonesome Road''. In 1974, she was made a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

, "in recognition of her zealous work as writer and broadcaster." She was then promoted to Officer on December 18, 1979. She posthumously was awarded the

Order of Nova Scotia The Order of Nova Scotia is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The order was instituted through the ''Order of Nova Scotia Act'' on 1 June 2001, with the first appointments beginning in 2002. The order is int ...

in 2002. She is commemorated on a postage stamp issued by

Canada Post Canada Post Corporation (, trading as Canada Post (), is a Canadian Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada. Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the operating name of the Post Office Department of the Can ...

on February 1, 2011. Best died at the age of 98 of natural causes in New Glasgow. She was featured in a Google Doodle on December 17, 2021.

References

External links

Order of Canada Citation

{{DEFAULTSORT:Best, Carrie 1903 births 2001 deaths Black Canadian non-fiction 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 Writers from Nova Scotia Canadian women autobiographers Black Canadian journalists

Biography

See also

References

External links