# James Perkins Jr. > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/James_Perkins_Jr. > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/James_Perkins_Jr..md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Perkins_Jr. > Source revision: 1348096423 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Mayor of Selma, Alabama}} {{About|the Alabama mayor|other people named James Perkins|James Perkins (disambiguation){{!}}James Perkins}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = James Perkins Jr. | image = James Perkins - DPLA - 63ce66e470e18271033b5087dd4e3287 (3x4a).JPG | caption = Perkins in 2004 | birth_date = 1952 or 1953 | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | office = Mayor of Selma, Alabama | term_start = 2000 | term_end = 2008 | term_start2 = 2020 | term_end2 = present | predecessor1 = [Joseph Smitherman](/source/Joseph_Smitherman) | predecessor2 = | successor2 = | party = | education = Bachelor's degree in Mathematics | alma_mater = Alabama A&M University, Auburn University at Montgomery | occupation = Businessman, Pastor, Educator | website = }} '''James Perkins Jr.''' (born 1952 or 1953) is an American politician who is the incumbent mayor of [Selma, Alabama](/source/Selma%2C_Alabama). The first [African American](/source/African_American) mayor of the city, he won a [runoff election](/source/runoff_election) in 2000 and served two terms, lost his second bid for reelection in 2008, and won a third non-consecutive term in 2020. Perkins grew up in Selma, where his parents were an elementary school principal and a nurse, and graduated in 1971 in the first [racially integrated](/source/School_integration_in_the_United_States) class at [Selma High School](/source/Selma_High_School); he organized an unsuccessful effort to use the former black high school as the integrated school, rather than the former white school.{{cite news |first=Jeffrey |last=Gettleman |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-oct-22-mn-40286-story.html |title=To Mayor, It's Selma's Statue of Limitations |newspaper=[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times) |date=October 22, 2000 |access-date=May 12, 2017 }}{{cite news |first=Robin |last=DeMonia |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/2000/1002/p1s4.html |title=Selma steps away from its troubled past |newspaper=[The Christian Science Monitor](/source/The_Christian_Science_Monitor) |date=October 2, 2000 |accessdate=May 12, 2017 }} He has a bachelor's degree in mathematics from [Alabama A&M University](/source/Alabama_A%26M_University) and took business courses at [Auburn University at Montgomery](/source/Auburn_University_at_Montgomery). He is a businessman and pastor and has also taught mathematics and computer science at [Selma University](/source/Selma_University).{{cite news |url=http://www.selmatimesjournal.com/2016/08/17/perkins-seeks-another-term-as-selma-mayor/ |title=Perkins seeks another term as Selma mayor |newspaper=[Selma Times-Journal](/source/Selma_Times-Journal) |date=August 17, 2016 |accessdate=May 12, 2017 }} In December 2015 he was elected presiding pastor of Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Selma, succeeding [F. D. Reese](/source/Frederick_D._Reese).{{cite news |first=Alvin |last=Benn |url=http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2016/01/24/selma-minister-pickets-own-church-over-presiding-pastor/79189106/ |title=Selma minister pickets own church over presiding pastor |newspaper=[Montgomery Advertiser](/source/Montgomery_Advertiser) |date=January 24, 2016 |accessdate=May 12, 2017 }} After working as a computer consultant out of state, Perkins returned to Selma as manager of Reese's unsuccessful 1980 campaign against the long-term mayor of Selma, [Joe Smitherman](/source/Joseph_Smitherman), a former segregationist. He returned again in 1991 and ran against Smitherman himself in 1992 and 1996 before succeeding in a run-off in September 2000 in defeating Smitherman's bid for his tenth consecutive term. He was Selma's first African American mayor.{{cite news|url=http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20120112/NEWS02/201120318/Selma-s-former-mayor-wants-his-job-back |title=Selma's former mayor wants his job back |last=Benn |first=Alvin |date=January 12, 2012 |newspaper=Montgomery Advertiser |accessdate=January 15, 2012 }}{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite news|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2000-09-12/politics/smitherman.loss_1_joe-smitherman-edmund-pettus-bridge-black-vote?_s=PM:ALLPOLITICS |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119150117/http://articles.cnn.com/2000-09-12/politics/smitherman.loss_1_joe-smitherman-edmund-pettus-bridge-black-vote?_s=PM:ALLPOLITICS |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 19, 2013 |title=After 36 years in office, Selma mayor voted out |date=September 12, 2000 |publisher=[CNN](/source/CNN) |accessdate=January 15, 2012 }}{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Johnson |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=95781 |title=Selma Elects First Black Mayor |publisher=[ABC news](/source/American_Broadcasting_Company) |date=September 13, 2000 |accessdate=May 12, 2017 }}{{cite news |first=Alvin |last=Benn |url=http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/local/community/2016/10/04/melton-becomes-selmas-new-mayor/91570192/ |title=Melton becomes Selma's new mayor |newspaper=Montgomery Advertiser |date=October 4, 2016 |accessdate=May 12, 2017 }} In 2008 he was elected president of the National Conference of Black Mayors.{{cite news |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-181897309.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127063034/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-181897309.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 27, 2018 |via=Highbeam |title=Black Mayors conference names new leader |newspaper=[Jet](/source/Jet_(magazine)) |date=July 21, 2008 |accessdate=May 12, 2017 }} Perkins served two terms in office; in 2008, George Evans, who was Selma's first African American City Council president, defeated his bid for reelection. He ran again in 2016 after Evans's second term but was defeated by State Representative [Darrio Melton](/source/Darrio_Melton). Perkins was elected in a run-off over Miah Jackson to secure a third non-consecutive term in 2020. ==See also== *[List of first African-American mayors](/source/List_of_first_African-American_mayors) ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, James Jr.}} Category:African-American mayors in Alabama Category:Living people Category:Politicians from Selma, Alabama Category:Mayors of places in Alabama Category:1950s births Category:21st-century African-American people Category:20th-century African-American people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) {{alabama-mayor-stub}} --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [James Perkins Jr.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Perkins_Jr.) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Perkins_Jr.?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.