June 16: Birthday of John Perkins (1930)
Prayer Idea
Pray for people who are willing to suffer for the sake of helping others.
History Note
John Perkins was born in Mississippi in 1930. His mother died when he was a baby, and his grandmother reared him in a sharecropping family. He dropped out of school as a child and moved to California as a teenager.
John married Vera Mae Buckley in 1951. John was drafted into the army and served in Japan during the Korean War.
In 1957 John became a Christian. He moved with his family back to Mississippi to share good news with people there. Over the years, the Perkins family has led efforts in Mississippi and California to serve others through a day care center, a cooperative farm, a thrift store, housing repair, a health center, a technology center, after-school tutoring, and adult education.
During the movement for civil rights for all Americans, John became an outspoken advocate for political and social justice. In 1970, when he was trying to bail out student protestors from a jail in Mississippi, the police brutally tortured him.
John Perkins has continued to lead, write, speak, and serve, putting his faith into practice.
Photo of John Perkins by his daughter Priscilla Perkins (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Learn More
This is a trailer for a longer video about the life of John Perkins.
Find other resources at Homeschool History.
