Carrie Best (1903 – 2001)

Carrie Mae Best was a Black journalist from New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Growing up in a period of extreme racial discrimination, she finished high school only to discover there were no meaningful career opportunities for Black women. Witness to daily incidents of racism, she became a civil rights activist and in 1946 co-founded The Clarion, the first newspaper to be owned and published by Black Nova Scotians. Best used the paper to call for an end to racial discrimination. Throughout her long career, she continued to raise her voice in support of positive change. For her courage and inspiration, she was recognized with numerous awards, including the Order of Canada. A postage stamp in her honour was released in 2011.

“Nobody in Nova Scotia, or in Canada or in the world has the power to rob me of my personal dignity.”