Carrie Best
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In 1903, Carrie Best was born in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. She was born during a time when racial segregation was common. She and her siblings were encouraged by their parents to study the history of African Canadians and emphasized the importance of education, despite not having received one themselves.
Best wrote her first poems at the age of 4, and as she got older began sending opinion letters to the editors of local papers. She was unhappy with the representation of stereotypes in literature and local cultural, and so turned her mind to the works of African American poets.
As she grew older, she began to feel the limitations and restrictions that had been placed on women, and further still, non-white women. Her education choices were limited. Her career choices were few. She considered going into nursing, but at the time there were no Canadian schools that accepted African Canadians.
In December of 1941, there was an incident at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, where a group of high school girls were removed by force for sitting in the designated ‘whites only’ section. Outraged, Best wrote a letter to the theatre owner but received no response. Several days later, she and her son went to the theatre. They purchased tickets for the main floor, but were given tickets to the balcony section, which was the reserved area for Black patrons. Shortly after taking their seats, Best and her son were forcibly removed from the theatre. Her next step was legal action.
