Carrie Best is well known in Nova Scotia but most Canadians likely don’t know her name, or much about her contributions to the civil rights movements of the 1940’s and beyond. I certainly had not heard of her or been taught Canadian Black history in school. It wasn’t until I met my husband, and started to learn about his rich Nova Scotian heritage, that Carrie Best became a household name. She is my husbands great-aunt, and I was honoured to get the chance to meet her before she passed away in 2001.
This 30 year old CBC interview gives you a sense of the strong, independent woman she was. She was a tenacious leader, loved her home and family and had a wicked sense of humour. Carrie’s son, Dr. Calbert Best carried on his mothers’ legacy and had a long career in federal politics, focusing on labour and human rights advocacy.
If you’re ready to expand your knowledge of Canadian Black History here are some ideas that we’ve been doing with our own family:
The National Film Board has 30 films on their Black Communities in Canada channel. We have watched Journey to Justice, Ice Breakers, Black Mother Black Daughter and The Road Taken. We’d really like to watch one a day this month with the kids to continue to learn about Canadian Black history.
Have you watched the CBC show Still Standing? Jonny Harris is truly a gem on GEM. He has a great delivery and his stand-up routines, mixed with Canadian small town history is a family favourite. Much of my husbands family settled in East Preston so this episode is top of our list.
On the way to East Preston leaving Halifax you’ll pass Cherry Brook & the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia. The museum is great for kids and families. Until we can travel again, we’ll visit their website & bookshop.
Other ideas for expanding your education around Black History:
Celebrate Black History Month through films by checking out the 9th annual Toronto Black Film Festival taking place February 10th-21st. You can purchase a pass and watch all films online this year.
The Incredible Black Canadian Women You Should Know by Kathleen Newman-Bremang has several Black Canadian women on it that I either knew very little about or had not even heard of. All of her articles are insightful and I enjoy reading her views on everything from allyship to entertainment.
Black in Canada is a website is dedicated to highlighting and discussing Black Excellence in Canada. There are profiles and podcasts celebrating dozens of Canadians making a difference.
Most Canadian adults did not get any Black history taught to us in school. It’s up to us to pick up the slack and educate ourselves on the the good, and bad parts of our own history. In the digital age, there is no excuse to not be more educated.
Finally, as Kathleen Newman-Bremang said:
This is where the hope comes in. I hope all the “listening and learning” and feigned wokeness of last summer starts to pay off in tangible ways this month. This is the time for allies to prove they’ve actually been listening. It’s their time to pick up the burden. I hope this month is different not just because non-Black people are promising to do better, but because they are actually following through.
