Passion for Justice: The Life of John Perkins

This powerful documentary serves up a first-person account of the lives and work of John and Vera Mae Perkins, prominent leaders in the Civil Rights movement during the 1960s, particularly in Mendenhall, MS. A native of Mississippi, John recalls his sad childhood, beginning with the death of his mother during childbirth and the very brief time that he spent with his father. The latter abandoned John and left him with a hunger for love that drew the boy to Christianity. While in the military, John met Vera Mae and arranged for their marriage and move to California. Four children later, John—now a preacher—felt a calling to go back to Mendenhall and apply biblical ideals to deep-rooted problems of racial segregation and voter suppression. Vera Mae, who had prayed for strength to support John's sense of mission during dangerous times, remembers the hard work and daily brutality that African Americans faced while participating in the movement. Both she and John describe the horrifying night that John was tortured by police while in jail, leaving him with a hole in his head. Passion for Justice doesn't dwell on such nightmarish stories, instead presenting the Perkinses and others of their generation as teachers, eyewitnesses to history who can help others better understand an America from a half-century ago. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)