New book brings to light legacy of civil rights crusader Pearleen Oliver

"Of course you can, dear."

Those simple words were often spoken by the late civil rights activist Pearleen Oliver whenever a young person told her they couldn't do something. 

She had the remarkable ability to see things for the way they could be, not the way they were, said her son, Les Oliver.

"She was able to go talk to people in powerful positions, not yelling at them, not allowing her anger to show ... but pointing out to them what they weren't doing and what they needed to be doing and what could be done," he told CBC's Information Morning on Friday. 

Oliver was born in Guysborough County in 1917 and went on to found the Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People.

She broke down the barriers that stopped Black nurses from receiving training in Canada, and stood alongside Viola Desmond in court when she appealed her infamous conviction in 1946. 

Her accomplishments are the subject of a new book about her life, Pearleen Oliver: Canada's Black Crusader for Civil Rights. The book is based on recordings she made with researchers in the 1990s.

"It's essentially built out of her own words, although there were times when it took some writing to link things properly and to make things clear," said editor Ron Caplan. "It's built on these wonderful tapes that we're just fortunate to have found."

Les Oliver said his mom, who died in 2008 at the age of 91, always understood the power of education and how a child's world view was formed early on.

"She had great respect for teachers, although I must say she was constantly in the school, pointing out to the teachers things that weren't going right," he said.

When one of Oliver's sons came home with the book Little Black Sambo, she worked to get it removed from public schools and other resources put in its place.

She was more interested in, where is the story of Black accomplishment?- Les Oliver, son of Pearleen Oliver

"She was more interested in, where is the story of Black accomplishment? Where is the story of people who are Black and are living productive, pleasant lives? And that element was all missing," Les Oliver said. 

Oliver was a well-known public speaker in Nova Scotia in the 1940 and 1950s who was often invited to speak at hotels in Halifax that refused to serve Black people. 

She was in her 20s, and raising young kids, when she began championing the cause of Black nurses and speaking with the heads of hospitals, Les Oliver said.

"She wanted to be a nurse when she was a young girl and … for young women, there were very few opportunities for employment," he said. "For Black women, there was virtually nothing other than, you know, domestic service."

A lover of books

He learned a lot of lessons from his mom, he said, including this one: "Don't just get angry, get busy and do something."

He said he's thankful to have her story recorded because it's given him a new perspective on her life, including her love of reading.

"It came from her fundamental belief that if people knew the facts, they would do the right things," he said.

Pearleen Oliver: Canada's Black Crusader for Civil Rights is published by Cape Breton Books. A hundred copies have been donated to students at J.L. Ilsley High School.

"She's shown us that one voice matters, and she shows us the impact of what her one voice did in an elegant and well-informed way, and it's beautiful that you can hear her talking to you directly through this book," Caplan said. 

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.