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ALSO
IN THIS ISSUE Life Down Under Word Power Doggone Helpful Greetings from Costa Rica Taking Technology into Account(ing) Lucky Fall CurricuNet Chancellor's Column Development News Factoids Newsmakers Accomplishments
by faculty and staff… |
Word
Power “My first awareness came with me being black,” Perkins said, laughing softly. “I grew up in Durham. N.C., in a middle- to upper-class black neighborhood, but in time I became aware of certain realities. Words were very important in my house. I became aware of how words were used to classify and categorize. Words and phrases such as ‘minority’ and ‘second-class citizen’ made me realize how important communication was.” Those early memories have served Perkins well, and they now serve her students in everyday, real-life experiences. Perkins is a speech communications professor at City College, celebrating her 11th year with the district after stints as an educator in New York and Boston. Perkins taught speech, English and black history at Mesa College before moving to City, where she has become not only the district’s leader in intercultural issues and communica- tions, but also one of the most sought-after speakers in the state on the subject. “I am excited about the major force multiculturalism has become in education,” Perkins said. “Cross-culturalism reflects the diversity of our country, and at City College, where white and African-American students learn alongside Western European students, those from Asia and the Pacific Islands, students from throughout North and South America and elsewhere, the prospects for learning more about multiculturalism and using what we learn in everyday society are optimal.” Perkins earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina, and her master’s degree from New York University, coming of age during the height of the Civil Rights movement. Though love of words as tools for expression and change was part of her childhood, with mother and father both educated and creative, she was at first geared more toward the arts. “I was always involved with poetry, drama and music,” Perkins said. “My father was an orchestra leader, and also worked for IBM. My mother wrote children’s books, and also worked later for IBM. My education involved artistic endeavors, and by the time I came to San Diego, I was ready to transfer those instincts and that background to practical forms of communications study.” Perkins
says she desired to become a cultural bridge. Perkins says she meets many people who believe speech education is about teaching people to talk. “Now let’s talk about the intrapersonal process of speech, I tell them, where what you say comes from deep inside yourself,” Perkins said. “Everything that happens around you starts with who you are and what you say. “That’s why people have such a hard time sometimes, because they don’t take control of their speech. We sometimes find it difficult to communicate with our own siblings, much less understand how to speak with the Eskimos or others whose cultural references and language are different from our own.” Perkins urges her students to go beyond surface communications. She frequently counsels companies on how workers can better communicate, in both one-on-one and small-group situations. Better communications lead to higher productivity, she advises. “If you are doing business with a company of another culture, you make sure you are on the same page,” she said. “Business is so filled with cultural nuances, and we need to find that common ground. The international business community is still not making that full leap, but when they do, they will profit. Simple awareness of cross-culturalism isn’t enough. We need to make it a practice.” Perkins remains entrenched in the arts, singing with the San Diego Civic Chorale and Black Voices. She’s a reader in the Black Storytellers of San Diego group, and serves as a producer, director and performer in numerous shows throughout the year, both on campus and off. Perkins recently spoke during Black History Month at Cypress College, keynoting a speech on her work as an interculturalist. She also just served for a third time as a workshop presenter for the annual National Diversity Conference in San Diego. Perkins is an associate member in a group called Community Leaders Undoing Biases. And while she dreams of someday opening a bed and breakfast, it’s not easy to imagine her resting. “For me, it’s not just about cultural awareness, but a lifelong celebration of knowledge,” she said. “People need to move beyond the ignorance of unfamiliarity. When I’m speaking with someone, I don’t necessarily want to have another conversation about Martin Luther King and Shaq. Let’s talk more about the Internet, and how communications can help better our relationships with the Chinese. I tell my students that the universe offers everyone a place, and it’s time to start finding your place in the big puzzle. Through your words, you find out where that place is. Use your words, then your mouth. Claim it, name it, speak it.”
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