"My hope was for him to apologize in a Christian way, to repent. In 1992, he was vice presidential running mate to political maverick Lyndon LaRouche, who has a home in Loudoun County but at the time was in a federal prison for a tax conviction. On April 10, 2008, after a three-hour deliberation, the jury found Bevel guilty, his bond was revoked, and he was taken into custody. [8][9], Bevel soon became SCLC's Director of Direct Action and Director of Nonviolent Education to augment King's positions as SCLC's Chairman and spokesperson. He was free on bond, appealing the conviction, when pancreatic cancer killed him. [30] The commission was associated with conspiracy theorist Lyndon LaRouche, and sought to persuade the state legislature to reopen its two-year investigation into the Franklin child prostitution ring allegations. In 1965 SCLC gave its highest honor, the Rosa Parks Award, to James Bevel and Diane Nash for their work on the Alabama Voting Rights Project. And I was always buffering between my father, I never let her be alone with him. MARTIN: You confronted your father at one point. He was looking at her and talking about her and, you know, being his jolly self, and I actually got really, really sad because I realized that, you know, I won't be able to experience him anymore. All rights reserved. In March 1965 protesters made a symbolic march, inspired by a fiery speech by Bevel at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church, where much organizing was done. Bevel, 72, died Friday in Virginia after a fight with pancreatic cancer, said a daughter, Chevara Orrin, who lives in Winston-Salem, N.C. In April 2008 he was convicted of committing incest with one of his daughters and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. MARTIN: If you are just joining us, I'm speaking with Aaralyn Mills. I've never known him to be a liar. In the 1960s, Bevel was a leader in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), two of the stalwart organizations that led efforts to desegregate the South. 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She recently finished a book, Becoming Aaralyn, and is looking for a publisher, a search she thinks will lead to Europe. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. And I think the hardest part is not choosing a side to work toward and sticking to it. . On August 28, 1963, SCLC participated in what became known as the March on Washington, an event organized by labor leader A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin, who had planned an earlier 1941 March. But she wanted Athena with her: I refuse to let my daughter live without what I so desperately needed: stability, happiness, home., To that end, Liese works three jobs. But this was the meeting in which we called other members of the community, Bernard Layfette and Will Sanders and as well as relatives. Corrections? As a girl she was repeated molested by her father the Reverend James Bevel, one of the most brilliant and daring strategists of the civil rights movement, an Icon. or redistributed. In 2007, one of his daughters accused him of molesting her in the 90s. Bevel would not reveal the evidence, and Ray was convicted of the crime. A wild man from Itta Bena, Mississippi, Taylor Branch called him in Parting the Waters, the first volume of his history of the civil rights movement, a self-described example of the legendary chicken-eating, liquor-drinking, woman-chasing Baptist preacher.. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, At trial, Bevel denied committing the sexual act and his recorded statement was used against him. This was followed by a number of erratic-seeming episodes in his life. I had no idea that it happened to anyone but me including my other sisters. And you can listen to it for, you know, over and over again and it won't make sense. He subsequently joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), serving as project director and becoming one of the most influential advisers to the SCLCs head, Martin Luther King, Jr. On Bevels recommendation, hundreds of youth were mobilized in 1963 in the childrens crusade to participate in peaceful antisegregation protests in downtown Birmingham, Ala. How do we look at this country with these two dynamics? That was our hope, but he wasn't ready to look at himself. We'll talk about that in just a few minutes. Market data provided by Factset. [36], On April 10, 2008, after a three-hour deliberation, the jury convicted Bevel of incest. James L. Bevel, a fiery top lieutenant of the Rev. Particularly by somebody who portrays himself as a freedom fighter, as a person who's fighting for human dignity. Much of it was revealed during a 2008 trial that ended with her father, the Rev. I don't understand how parents violate their children in any way, realizing their children will grow up, and they're not going to forget. [13], Feeling an inner call to become a minister, he attended the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee from 1957 to 1961 and became a Baptist preacher. Bevel died Friday in Virginia. They, Nash, and others stayed in Mississippi to work on grassroots organizing. He doesn't understand the whole dynamics of what's going on now. They agreed to continue until they had achieved these goals, and to ask for funding from the SCLC only if the group was involved in organizing a movement. But prosecutors said his illness should not temper his sentence. According to a 2003 interview,[24] Bevel's favorite color was black, his favorite food was avocado, and his favorite time of year was spring. He was recently released on bond while appealing a. The accuser was one of his daughters, who was 1315 years old at the time and lived with him. [15] Diane Nash, the Nashville Student Movement's chairman, urged the group to continue the Freedom Rides, and called for college volunteers from Fisk and other universities across the South. Ms. MILLS: I don't, I don't think he's mentally ill. This kind of pseudo-philosophical - I'm not even sure - how do would you describe it? Bevel also attended workshops at the Highlander Folk School taught by its founder, Myles Horton, who emphasized grassroots organizing. You know, it was just me. When she approaches people and identifies herself as James Bevels and my daughter, many are very welcoming and attempt to help her in any way possible, not knowing that she and I have been estranged for decades. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. In a Post story chronicling Lieses decision to come forward about the abuse. . James L. Bevel dies at 72; civil rights activist and top lieutenant to King", "Bevel v. Commonwealth (Va.Ct.App., 14 Sept. 2010)", "Bevel v. Commonwealth (Va.S.Ct., 4 Nov. 2011)", "Years After Change, Activist Lives Her Conviction", "Common Is James Bevel, Andre Holland Is Andrew Young In Ava DuVernay's Mlk Tale 'Selma', (see request for download at bottom of page). "People don't just wake up one morning and stop being a pedophile," Orrin said. Six weeks later, he died of pancreatic cancer. What saddened Orrin was that speakers at the five-hour funeral danced around the fact that Bevel had been convicted just this past spring of molesting one of his daughters in the 1990s. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. While working on SNCC's commitment to desegregate theaters, Bevel successfully directed the 1961 Nashville Open Theater Movement. Having background is important to get the whole picture. I think he's more like a spoiled child in which he has been doing and being the way he is for so long that he gets away with it. [13] Virginia had no statute of limitations for the offense of incest. James Bevel, was an icon of the civil-rights movement who worked closely with the Rev. And so, I had moved on and I had felt that my father perhaps - like it was my fault. I secured political freedoms for you." Mr. Bevel had been released from prison in November because he had pancreatic cancer.. Instead, she told the jury to focus on the single incident for which Bevel is charged: an act of sexual intercourse that occurred in 1993 or 1994 while the daughter was a teenager and was living with her father in Leesburg. Hoping for him 'to repent'Bevel's daughter, Aaralyn Mills, testified about the conflicting feelings she has had as she pursued the case against her father, a man that she said she still loves and respects in many aspects. [17] Activists encountered severe violence at that time and retreated to regroup. James L. Bevel, 71, a key architect of the 1963 Children's Crusade in Birmingham, Ala., and other pivotal moments of the civil rights movement, was convicted earlier this year of a. And then also for us to go together, because we didn't grow up together. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Luther-Bevel, African American Registry - Biography of James Bevel, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Global Freedom Struggle - Biography of James Luther Bevel. She said that her mother, who is white, told her that no one would have believed them. Instead, Bevel mocked the notion of an apology. Though initially reluctant, Dr. King finally agreed. And it's something I had the support of so many people to do, up until 2004. The following day, when more students arrived at the church and started to walk to city hall, Eugene "Bull" Connor, City Commissioner of Public Safety, ordered that German Shepherd dogs and high-pressure fire hoses be used to stop them. James L. Bevel, 71, an architect of the 1963 Children's Crusade in Birmingham, Ala., and other pivotal moments of the civil rights movement, was convicted earlier this year of a single . Omissions? James L. Bevel, a prominent figure in the civil rights movement whose legacy was clouded by an incest conviction has died, a relative said. There's no exception" Wittmann said. Particularly my - one of my - little sister, not the youngest one that was in the household, but particularly her because I had, I had sought to protect to her. He decides what's right and not right. How did she react? Bevel selected the student teams for the buses. [40], In 1961, Bevel married activist Diane Nash after he completed his seminary studies. MARTIN: Some people would call it intervention. James Luther Bevel (October 19, 1936 December 19, 2008) was a minister and leader of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Ms. MILLS: Well, I don't understand it. Ms. MILLS: And it's an hour and a half of him explaining his position. James Luther Bevel, (born Oct. 19, 1936, Itta Bena, Miss., U.S.died Dec. 19, 2008, Springfield, Va.), American minister and political activist who played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement in the early 1960s. And what really helped me was the fact that I had such a support system. He died on December 19, 2008, Springfield, VA. I don't want to relive any of that. Do you have any idea where you were able to find that within yourself to do this? Organizers appealed to the federal court against an injunction by the state against marching in order to complete their planned march to the capital. Bevel then called off plans for the children's march. Family members who confronted Bevel in 2004 during a family meeting testified that Bevel read a written accusation by his daughter and replied that he did not contest the facts as laid out by his daughter. James Luther Bevel (born October 19, 1936 in Itta Bena, . [12] He was one of 17 children and grew up in rural LeFlore County of the Mississippi Delta and in Cleveland, Ohio. Vivian and others, Bevel participated in the Nashville Sit-In Movement organized by Nash, whom he would later marry to desegregate the city's lunch counters. That was very hard for me. I am equally devastated and disgusted by his pedophilia., James L. Bevel, 72, an Adviser to Dr. King, Is Dead, https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/us/23bevel.html. Historian Taylor Branch quotes King in At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 19651968 (2006) as saying that "Andrew Young had given in to doubt, Bevel to brains, and Jackson to ambition", and said that the movement had made them and now they were using the movement to promote themselves. *James Bevel was born on this date in 1936. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. She said . ", (For more information about the support group, call Orrin at 722-4671.). The Rev. And then, so what are the options for children? She later, she asked me to recount a tale - some other woman who in new environment, what happened. John Lewis, another King confidant who has been a Georgia congressman for more than 20 years, recalled in a memoir that at Spelman College in Atlanta, Mr. Bevel once declared himself a prophet and made his student disciples drink urine to signal their loyalty. A bubbly toddler might not seem to have much in common with the daughter of a convicted child molester, but Liese sees only the similarities as Athena slips on the kitchen floor and bounces back, still laughing. As I looked at him, I thought about the father he was to me, the . "At the end of the day, they're still our fathers, our mothers, our uncles and aunts and brothers and sisters," she said. The Rev. And she always told me, no he doesn't do that to me, I have a wonderful relationship with my dad. And my sisters and my brothers also, you know, because my brothers were also stood behind us 100 percent and said, you know we have to do something. MARTIN: How do you understand this as this kind of culture of acceptance of abuse of children? He worked on a cotton plantation for a time as a youth and later in a steel mill. Ms. MILLS: It was actually, as in the article, I was actually watching a Oprah show and it was - the difference in this, was there was a little girl. And I hid them in her purse or in her shoes and things. Ready to start "the second half of my life," after. When:August 3-4, 2016, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm daily Trainers:Mary Lou Finley, Pam Smith & Gail Schechter With remarks on nonviolence by Sherri Bevel, daughter of Chicago civil rights activists James Bevel and Diane Nash LEARNyCONNECTyORGANIZE The beloved community Six Principles and Six Steps How to conduct a nonviolent campaign At her father's recent funeral in an Alabama church, Chevara Orrin of Winston-Salem listened to one civil-rights veteran after another praise him. Ms. MILLS: I haven't spoken to him since the trial. James Luther Bevel (born 1936) was a civil rights activist of the 1960s who aligned himself with Martin Luther King, Jr. James Luther Bevel was born in the farming community of Ittabena, Mississippi, on October 19, 1936. (The completed march, which led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act, took place two weeks later.). James Bevel's Life Path Number is 3 as per numerology. Its so amazing it doesnt matter if its yours or not. James L. Bevel, 71, a key architect of the 1963 Children's Crusade in Birmingham, Ala., and other pivotal moments of the civil rights movement, was convicted earlier this year of a single count of incest. Virginia was No. Bevel was born in 1936 in Itta Bena, Mississippi, the son of Illie and Dennis Bevel. Suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer, Bevel was released on bond due to ill health in November, and died at another daughter's home in December. You know, so it was just - it was like, why? Bevel suggested recruiting students in the campaign. The street lights were turned off by Alabama State Troopers who attacked the protesters. Martin Luther King Jr., the head of the SCLC. And we have to find a way, because they exist. A fight broke out between LaRouche supporters and black nationalists.[34]. And Orrin said her mother correctly assumed that she would have been afraid to confront her father in court. One way he brought attention to the brutality of Jim Crow was to bring children . Their meetings occurred at Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church, and it was from there that Bevel directed the students, 50 at a time, to peacefully walk to Birmingham's City Hall to talk to Mayor Art Hanes about segregation in the city. Anyone can read what you share. [25], In 1989, Bevel and Abernathy organized the National Committee Against Religious Bigotry and Racism. MARTIN: Your story was very painful to read. [6] Bevel strategized the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, which contributed to Congressional passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. And it reminded us that those feelings of being ashamed and alone can be magnified when the perpetrator is in a position of trust, highly regarded by the community, perhaps a family member. This defendant should die in jail.". She got inspiration for her cause from her father's funeral, especially from one song that was a civil-rights standard, "Ain't gonna let nobody turn me 'round." And he usually - he played the role of judge and jury in these meetings. He was one of seventeen children. Hoffman also questioned why the daughter returned to voluntarily live with her father after the alleged incest. Ms. MILLS: Yeah, it was - it was like intervention, but for my father it was a meeting, it was a, you know, you present your case, I'll present my case. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Ms. MILLS: The hardest part was learning of everyone's story. She said that "his thought process was this worldwide movement was for us.". But that you have to come to some understanding of what sex is outside of pleasure. That's a playboy talking to a prostitute," Bevel said on the witness stand shortly before he was sentenced. In 1962 Bevel met with Rev. She could not share it. [13] King was initially reluctant, but agreed. Following the nationwide publicity generated by Jackson's death and the previous attack on peaceful marchers, hundreds of religious, labor and civic leaders, many celebrities, and activists and citizens of many ethnicities traveled to Selma to join the march. MARTIN: So in his world, he decides what true and not true. ", "I don't believe he was a monster. In late 1963 Bevel, Nash, and Orange also worked with local grassroots organizations to educate blacks and support them in trying to gain registration as voters, but made little progress. What if I do, we do remove my little sister from the environment and what if she decides to go back when she's 17 or 18 to see her dad, and he does the same thing and she gets wrapped up in his spell. In a Post story chronicling Lieses decision to come forward about the abuse, she described a trauma room, where her father slid onto her bed fondling her. Liese formerly Mills before creating a new last name to replace her ex-husbands says she forgave and let go long before the trial. One of his daughters, Aaralyn Mills, accused Bevel of molesting her as a child and having sex with her once in the 1990s, when she was a teenager. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Bevel had 16 children with nine women. Bevel proposed organizing the Alabama Voting Rights Project, and co-wrote the project proposal with his wife Diane Nash. So, I grew up with a fear of society and of people, and a great mistrust for the system and a great trust in my father. Bevel testified during Wednesday's hearing that he was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that has spread to his liver. That summer, Hamer attended a meeting led by civil rights activists James Forman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and James Bevel of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). . Faithful to My Father's Dream. The Rev. They were severely penalized for missing work and were trying to support their families. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. He was 72. Bevel's daughter testified that she was repeatedly molested by Bevel beginning when she was just 6 years old, culminating in an act of sexual intercourse in 1993 or 1994 that formed the basis of the incest charge. He was convicted earlier this year of having sex 15 years ago with his then-teenage daughter in Virginia. But Bevel testified and denied the charge. And then things I never understood as parents. Last week, Joanna Connors a reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer told us about how 20 years later being raped still made her feel powerless and ashamed. During what was later called the Birmingham Children's Crusade, President John F. Kennedy asked King to stop using children in the campaign. [13] They were under an injunction by the state, so stayed within the city limits. Legal Statement. Ready to start the second half of my life, after the funeral, Liese says she began to question her marriage. In 1961 James and Diane were married. It happened in the Memphis area when she staying with her father while her mother was out of town. He was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1959 and went on to pastor the Chestnut Grove Baptist Church. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Residents ask school board where is the outrage after drag performance; school system will revise agreement with Forsyth Tech, No new vaccinations would be allowed in North Carolina for 3 years under bill filed in N.C. House, Slice of Napoli closing; new pizza place moving in, Jim Spivey, a former athletics director at Reynolds High School, dies. Ms. MILLS: Well, it was in part my own experience when I left home at 16, and I went to stay with the Bruderhof, which is a Christian community similar to the Amish in Pennsylvania. James Bevel, a key aide to Rev. At a family reunion, three other daughters had also alleged that Bevel sexually abused them. King wanted to fill the jails with protesters, but it was becoming more difficult to find adults to march. The national and international media covered the story, and photographs of the force used against schoolchildren generated public outrage against the city and its officials. MARTIN: And you did try to tell your mother what was happening? And I realized that, one, that it wasn't just you know, one way to live. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. A one-time top lieutenant to Martin Luther King Jr. was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison for having sex more than a decade ago with his then-teenage daughter. When people ask me what my childhood was like, I know they expect a dark, ugly story, she says. She married James Henry Bevel in Corpus Christi on January 27, 1956. The trial court found that abating the conviction would deny the victim the closure that she sought and denied the motion to abate. There are a lot of people who would have run in the other direction, who would have just, look I am gone - I don't - I can't deal with this. And as if it was a conspiracy against him. They worked together on civil rights, and had a daughter and son together. Nashville Student Movement (1960-61) and SNCC, Dispute with President John F. Kennedy and the March on Washington, Alabama Project and the Selma Voting Rights Movement (1965), Chicago Freedom Movement (1965-1966) and the Anti-Vietnam War Movement (1967), 1986 Summit proposal, and teaming up with Moon, and LaRouche (1980s and 1990s), Spring Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Presidency of John F. Kennedy Civil rights, Learn how and when to remove this template message, bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church, Martin Luther King Jr. assassination conspiracy theories, At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 19651968, was not the killer and that he had evidence that Ray was innocent, Franklin child prostitution ring allegations, National African American Leadership Summit, African American founding fathers of the United States, Faithful to my Father's Dream, Enoch Bevel, "Movement Revision Research Summary Regarding James Bevel", Thomas Ricks, NPR interview, October 4, 2022, "Civil Rights Leader Convicted of Incest", "James L. Bevel, 72, an Adviser to Dr. King, Is Dead", "Labor unions were key to march's success", "The Day The Pentagon Was Supposed To Lift Off Into Space", "Civil rights leader convicted of incest", LaRouche Connection Master List 1991-1995, "Allegations Pour In Against Civil Rights Leader Accused Of Incest", "Incest Verdict Is Bittersweet For Daughter Of Minister", "The Rev. And being there for two years, I was saturated in the environment where family values and just you know, I grew up where there was a lot of talked about love and peace, and happiness, and family values. 'You dont like to work on anything that isnt your own idea,' King said, 'Bevel, I think you owe me one.'"[22]. The Movement began to stage regular marches to the county courthouse, which had limited hours for blacks to register as voters. They were poor, and Bevel was a civil-rights giant. [31], In 1992, Bevel ran on LaRouche's ticket as the vice presidential candidate. . He joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 2005, Bevel was accused of incest by one of his daughters and abuse by three others. [39] Bevel's attorney appealed the denial of the abatement motion to the Supreme Court of Virginia. [6] Hearing of this plan, and in response to the city's violent treatment of the students, the Kennedy administration asked SCLC's leaders what they wanted in a comprehensive civil rights bill. James Bevel (1936-2008) James Bevel was one of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s most trusted advisors during the American Civil Rights campaigns of the mid-20th century. As an adult, Orrin asked her father why he had not provided for his children. And in order to make the case in the absence of physical evidence which is long since disappeared because you had grown up and moved away from being the zone of harm is that you confronted your father in a recorded monitored conversation with law enforcement where you confronted him about his behavior.
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