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Carrie Mae Best (née Prevoe), OC, ONS, LLD, human rights activist, author, journalist, publisher and broadcaster.
She is known for being the first black owner and publisher of a Nova Scotia newspaper.
Carrie Best was born on March 4, 1903 in New Glasgow.
James and Georgina (Ashe) Prevoe, Best's parents, encouraged her and her two brothers to learn about African-Canadian history and to be proud of their Black background. Best's parents emphasized the significance of education, despite the fact that they had not obtained a good education themselves.
Best was a clever child who began writing poems at the age of four and frequently sent letters to the editors of local newspapers as a teenager.
Carrie's mother and father were James and Georgina Prevoe. She also had two brothers. On June 24, 1925, Carrie married railway porter Albert Theophilus Best. They had one son, James Calbert Best, and later welcomed several foster children including Berma, Emily, Sharon, and Aubrey Marshall into their home and family.
Carrie Best was not defeated even after losing her lawsuit against Mason and the Roseland Theatre. Best founded a newspaper to fight the persisting problems of racism and segregation in a way that was arguably more potent than the legal system.
She and her son, Calbert, created The Clarion in 1946, one of the first Black Canadian newspapers to be owned and published in Nova Scotia. The Clarion, which began as a 20-by-25-cm broadsheet, covered sports, news, social activities, and other noteworthy events. The newspaper, which was founded in 1947, focused on improving race relations. The Clarion covered numerous major subjects and pushed for Black rights for a decade. It was renamed The Negro Citizen and began nationwide distribution in 1956.
Viola Desmond, a young Black businesswoman from Halifax, was in a similar situation to the Bests at the Roseland Theatre in 1946.
Honorary doctor of civil law (DCL)
1992
Honorary doctorates from Saint Francis Xavier University (LLD)
1975
Harry Jerome
1986
Order of Canada
1974
Nova Scotia Black Wall of Fame
1980
Award of Excellence in Race Relations from the Minister of State for Multiculturalism
1990
Black Professional Women’s Group Award Certificate
1989
Queen Elizabeth Medal
1977
Dr. Best died peacefully in her sleep at home on July 24, 2001. She received the Order of Nova Scotia posthumously in 2002. In February 2011, Canada Post published a stamp featuring Best. Best was featured in a Google Doodle created by guest artist Alexis Eke on December 17, 2021.