Celebrating John M Perkins
John M. Perkins grew up in New Hebron, Mississippi, the son of sharecroppers, in a family shaped by poverty and racial injustice. As a teenager, his life was marked by a tragedy that would stay with him for decades. His older brother was killed by a white police officer in a racially charged encounter. The officer was never convicted.
After that, Perkins left Mississippi, vowing never to return.
Years later, while living in California, Perkins became a Christian. That experience reshaped the direction of his life. In the 1960s, during the height of the Civil Rights era, he made the difficult decision to return to Mississippi, the place he had once promised he would never go back to.
There, Perkins became involved in ministry and community organizing, working in neighborhoods affected by segregation and poverty. In 1970, while in police custody, he was severely beaten by law enforcement officers. The injuries were serious, and the incident became one of the defining moments of his life.
Rather than leaving Mississippi again, Perkins stayed. He went on to help launch ministries and programs focused on education, housing, and economic opportunity for under-resourced communities. Over time, his work became connected with what is now known as the Christian Community Development movement, which emphasizes long-term, local investment in struggling neighborhoods.
John M. Perkins’ life reflects the long and complicated work of confronting injustice, returning to difficult places, and building something lasting in communities shaped by deep division.
Join us this month, on-air and online, during Black History Month on BRIGHT-FM as we journey through history.
Imagine Source: The Project on Lived Theology.
