William Pearly Oliver

Oliver's great-great-grandfather was one of about 2,000 Black Loyalists who came to Nova Scotia after the War of 1812.

From 1880 to 1934, his grandfather, William Oliver, served as "caretaker of the Ladies Seminary and later College Hall at Acadia University".

His parents were Clifford Oliver from Wolfville and Dorothy Moore from Halifax.

His father also worked as a caretaker and janitor at the university.

William Pearly Oliver (February 11, 1912 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia – May 26, 1989 in Lucasville) worked at the Cornwallis Street Baptist Church for twenty-five years (1937–1962) and was instrumental in developing the four leading organizations to support Black Nova Scotians in the 20th century: Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Colored People (1945), the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission (1967), the Black United Front (1969) and the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia (1983).

He was instrumental in supporting the case of Viola Desmond.

Oliver was born in 1912 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Oliver graduated from Wolfville High School in 1930.

Oliver was captain of both the football and hockey teams which won league championships.

He completed his BA in 1934 and his Bachelor of Divinity in 1936 at Acadia University.

He was the third black person to graduate from university in Nova Scotia.

Because of segregation on Nova Scotia he was not able undertake the travel necessary for university sports so he focused on track and field winning "most of the five-mile and ten-mile races in the Valley and in other parts" of Nova Scotia.

Reverend William A. White, the previous Cornwallis Street minister who died in 1936, had served as chaplain during World War I with the No. 2 Construction Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF); Reverend Oliver was a Captain in the Canadian armed service, serving as chaplain during World War II for the high concentration of Black troops from the three Canadian army services and the Merchant Navy that was stationed in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

He was the only Black chaplain and he was only allowed to minister to the Black troops in the segregated city of Halifax.

In 1937, shortly after graduating with his Divinity Degree, Oliver became a pastor at the Cornwallis Street Baptist Church in Halifax.

The Cornwallis church was known as the African United Baptist Association's (AUBA) "Mother Church" as it was the first Nova Scotian church owned and operated by the Black community.

Reverend Oliver was the youngest minister to serve at the Cornwallis church.

Both the Reverend and Pearleen Oliver ministered to the Cornwallis Street congregation promoting racial equality in education and employment, and providing "support ministry services to other Black churches in Nova Scotia".

He served there from 1937 to 1962 and was their longest serving minister since the founder of the church, Richard Preston.

They were both active members of the African United Baptist Association.

Near the end of the war, in 1945, inspired by the troops that had served in desegregated units during the war, Oliver helped establish the Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1945.

Oliver was one of the founding members of the Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NSAACP)—incorporated in 1945.

The Adult Education division of Nova Scotia's Department of Education had been established in 1945 with Guy Henson (1910-1978) as director.

The Olivers supported Viola Desmond's 1946 stand against segregation by refusing to leave her seat in the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.

They helped raised funds through the NSAACP for her defense.

Although Desmond lost her court cases and had to pay a $20 fine, Reverend Oliver later said that he was convinced that much of the positive action that has since taken place [in Nova Scotia] stemmed from this incident.

Oliver worked part-time for the Department of Education's Adult Education Program from 1946 to 1962.

He advised the department on programs in Black Communities.

It was during this period that Continuing Education and

Community Development programs were undertaken.

In 1949, he was awarded a Carnegie Travel Bursary to "study educational programs in the United States" because of his contributions to the NSAACP.

In 1949, Oliver visited the United States through the Carnegie grant and was introduced to new ways of "improving educational opportunities for Black communities at home."

Against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, in November 1968, Stokely Carmichael of the American Black Panthers met with leaders of the Black community in Nova Scotia.

Oliver disagreed with the Black Panthers' tactics, but shared their concerns and goals.

Oliver, Burnley "Rocky" Jones and others established the Black United Front (BUF)—also known as the Black United Front of Nova Scotia as the successor to the NSAACP.

Oliver worked full-time with the Department as the Regional Representative of Continuing Education for the Halifax-Dartmouth and Halifax County from 1962 until his retirement on February 28, 1977.

He "identified six goals for the Black community: improved health and schools, better homes and farms, more jobs and better use of municipal and provincial agencies."

During this time he "was instrumental in the organization and initiating of many community services such as Adult Education Evening Classes, organization of community schools in Halifax County, Small Business Management Training in the Province of Nova Scotia, and as Secretary to the Education Fund for Black Students."

Oliver was awarded the Order of Canada in 1984.

His wife Pearleen Oliver was also a strong advocate for social justice.