N.S. journalist, activist Carrie Best honoured in Google Doodle
Best started one of the first newspapers in Nova Scotia owned by a Black Canadian
The founder of one of Nova Scotia's first newspapers owned and operated by Black Canadians, Carrie Best, is honoured in today's Google Doodle.
Best was a Black publisher, broadcaster, journalist, author and activist who was born in New Glasgow, N.S., in 1903.
She founded The Clarion in 1946, publishing news about and by the Black community. She later started her own radio show called The Quiet Corner, which consisted of music and poetry related to human rights.
One of the early editions of The Clarion featured the story of the arrest of Viola Desmond, who sat in the "whites-only" section of the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow in November 1946. Desmond has since become widely known as a civil rights activist, and her image is featured on $10 bills.
But three years before Desmond's arrest, Best was arrested for the same reason at the same theatre. She sued the theatre based on racial discrimination, but lost her case.
That experience pushed Best to speak out about civil rights, and she later went on to write a weekly column in the Pictou Advocate called "Human Rights."
The Clarion ran from 1946 to 1956, when it was renamed.
In 1974, Best was made a member of the Order of Canada and was later elevated to officer of the order.
She died in 2001 at the age of 98, and was posthumously awarded the Order of Nova Scotia in 2002.
She was also commemorated on a postage stamp in 2011.
The Google Doodle was created by Toronto-based artist Alexis Eke.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
