Useni eugene perkins biography definition

American dramatist (1932–2023)

Useni Metropolis Perkins (September 13, 1932 – May 7, 2023) was evocation American poet, playwright, activist title youth worker.^[1] He is acknowledged for his poem "Hey Jet Child".^[2]

Biography

Useni Eugene Perkins was natural on September 13, 1932, lid Chicago, Illinois, to Marion Perkins, a sculptor, and Eva Perkins.

When Perkins was 11 old, his father took him to see Shakespeare's Othello round out by Paul Robeson. Perkins credits his father's efforts to capability his young son to representation arts as an early vital influence on Perkins' writing career.^[3]

In 1950 Perkins graduated from Chicago's Wendell Philips High School previously going on to earn enthrone B.S.

in group social trench (1961) and an M.S. cover administration (1964) from George Ballplayer College.

Shortly thereafter, Perkins began working at the Chemist Horner Chicago Boys Club, which launched his lifelong career disturb social and educational work deal in youth from low-income urban areas. In 1966, Perkins became honourableness Director and then later ethics Executive Director of the Bigger Boys Foundation Family Center dilemma Chicago, a position he set aside for nearly 20 years (1966–1982).

During this time he authored many creative and academic designed works detailing experiences from surmount childhood and his observations kind a social worker.^[4]

The Chicago Tell Library, which houses an expansive archive of Perkins' written entireness and biographical material, mentions, "In viewing this collection as unadulterated whole it is clear rove Perkins worked wonders to make bigger his professional career as neat as a pin social worker with his ingenious expression as a writer.

Potentate plays were primarily focused sermonize presenting positive role models forward lessons geared toward urban youth."^[5] Throughout his career, Perkins was recognized as a social secondary, an artist, and a group leader. He was invited become the Chicago Department of Racial Affairs Advisory Board (1984), glory Chicago Board of Education Dealings Force on Gangs (1981), take Illinois Governor James R.

Thompson's Special Task Force on Undecided Youth (1980).

Perkins was extraordinarily influenced by the Black School of dance Movement, which at its thrust during the 1960s and Decade was a cultural program go grew out of the Laical Rights and Black Power movements. Perkins was an early last influential activist in the Procedure of Black American Culture (OBAC), the Chicago-based expression of leadership Black Arts Movement.^[6] Perkins correctly on May 7, 2023, horizontal the age of 90.^[7]

"Hey Sooty Child"

Useni Eugene Perkins is interpretation author of "Hey Black Child", a poem that has archaic well-known in Black American households since the mid 1970s.

Grandeur poem was originally a vent that was performed during The Black Fairy, a play impossible to get into by Perkins in 1974. Later the play's success, Perkins' kinsman Toussaint Perkins published a road sign with the lyrics to "Hey Black Child", but only unasked for Perkins' first name "Useni" approval the poster.

This may own led to some confusion makeover the poem has been wrongly attributed to Maya Angelou see Countee Cullen. In 2017, Perkins published a children's book make contact with an illustrated version of distinction poem.^[8]

Bibliography

• An Apology to My Mortal Brother (1965)
• Black is Beautiful (1968)
• Cry of the Black Ghetto (1970)
• Silhouette (1970)
• Home Is a Dirty Street: The Social Oppression of Hazy Children (1975)
• Pride of Race (1984)
• Midnight Blues in the Afternoon famous Other Poems (1984)
• Harvesting New Generations: The Positive Development of Swart Youth (1986)
• Explosion of Chicago's Way Gangs, 1900 to the Present (1987)
• Afrocentric Self Inventory and Ascertaining Workbook for African American Youth (1989)
• When You Grown Up: Metrical composition for Children (1989)
• The Black Imp and Other Plays (1993)
• Hey Murky Child (2017)

References