Common · People
John M. Perkins
American activist
John M. Perkins (June 16, 1930 – March 13, 2026) was an American Christian minister, civil rights activist and author. He was the founder and president of the John & Vera Mae Perkins Foundation with his wife, Vera Mae Perkins. Perkins was also co-founder of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA).
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John M. Perkins was born on June 16, 1930, in New Hebron, Mississippi. His mother died of pellagra when he was just seven months old. Abandoned by his father, he was raised by his grandmother and extended family, who worked as sharecroppers. He dropped out of school in third grade. In 1947, he moved away from Mississippi at the urging of his family, who worried that he might be in danger following the fatal shooting of his brother, Clyde, by a police officer. He settled in southern California. In June 1951, Perkins married Vera Mae Buckley; earlier that year, he had been drafted into the U.S. Armed Forces.
Text: Wikipédia, CC BY-SA 4.0. · Image: Priscilla Perkins (CC BY-SA 4.0) ·