Edward J. Perkins, First Black U.S. Ambassador to
South Africa,
to Speak at Norfolk State University
Norfolk, Va.—Edward J. Perkins, the first
Black U.S. ambassador to South Africa, will speak to the
Center for Strategic and Global Studies at noon, Friday,
February 16, at Brown Memorial Hall, Room 231, which is
located on the campus of Norfolk State University.
Perkins, the William J. Crowe Professor of Geopolitics
and Executive Director of the International Programs
Center at the University of Oklahoma, has had a long and
distinguished Foreign Service career highlighted by
“first” achievements. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan
named Perkins as ambassador to South Africa, making him
the first Black to serve in that capacity. His
assignment was to dismantle apartheid without violence.
He also was the first Black foreign service officer to
ascend to the top position of director general of the
Foreign Service and director of personnel in the U. S.
Department of State when he was appointed in 1989.
Other appointments and assignments have included staff
assistant in the Office of the Director General of the
Foreign Service; the State Department’s Bureau of
Personnel; the Bureau of Far East and South Asian
Affairs; the State Department Office of Management
Operations; the U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana, as
counselor of Political Affairs; Deputy Chief of Mission
to the American Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia; Ambassador
to Liberia; Ambassador to the United Nations and U.S.
Representative in the U.N. Security Council; and the
representative to the Commonwealth of Australia.
Perkins, who recently released his autobiography, Mr.
Ambassador: Warrior for Peace, has received numerous
awards including the Presidential Distinguished and
Meritorious Service Awards, The Department of State
Honor and Superior Honor Awards and the Department of
State’s Director General’s Cup. In addition, he has
received honors from universities and organizations that
include the Laurel Wreath Award for Achievement and
Distinguished Diplomatic Service, Kappa Alpha Psi
fraternity’s highest honor.
Born in Sterlington,
Louisiana, Perkins earned a bachelor’s degree from the
University of Maryland and master’s and doctorate
degrees in public administration from the University of
Southern California. He served three years in the U.S.
Army and four years in the U.S. Marine Corps. Perkins is
married to the former Lucy Cheng-mei Liu. They have two
daughters, Katherine and Sarah, and four grandchildren.
For more information, call 823-8373.
Contacts:
