 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 class at 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.He has a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Alabama A&M University and took business courses at Auburn University at Montgomery.He is a businessman and pastor and has also taught mathematics and computer science at Selma University.