From the Helen L. Bevel Archives, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Bevel&oldid=1146647965, Statements by Rev. But this was the meeting in which we called other members of the community, Bernard Layfette and Will Sanders and as well as relatives. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Bevel, 72, died Friday in Virginia after a fight with pancreatic cancer, said a daughter, Chevara Orrin, who lives in Winston-Salem, N.C. . The assault occurred in the early 1990s in Loudoun County, when Bevel was working closely with the Virginia-based organization led by political extremist Lyndon LaRouche. 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. MARTIN: We were corresponding about your coming on the program because I had to be honest, I was hesitant to contact you because I was worried that you would see it as an intrusion or as a burden to talk about something so painful, again. I have to say, I think that it is powerfully courageous thing to do. James Bevel was one of seventeen children born to a sharecropping family in Itta Bena, Mississippi. Weeks of demonstrations and marches resulted in King, Ralph Abernathy, and Shuttlesworth being arrested and jailed. Who's watching their backs? Charismatic and eloquently quick-witted in a vernacular style, Mr. Bevel was known as a man of passion and peculiarity. Corrections? Ms. MILLS: I mean we have to look at a lot of aspects of life, in those parallels. One of the things you said to me was that the healing growth and happiness that my family and I experienced need to be shared. Aaralyn Mills, good luck to you. The four-day trial in Loudoun County Circuit Court included bizarre testimony about Bevel's philosophies for eradicating lust, and parents' duty to "sexually orient" their children. He was recently released on bond while appealing a 15-year. So, I didn't feel that it was wrong. Soon after, another three daughters said he had sexually abused them as . Sentencing guidelines called for probation only. Ready to start the second half of my life, after the funeral, Liese says she began to question her marriage. 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. ", (For more information about the support group, call Orrin at 722-4671.). Although Bevel initially intended to pursue a recording career, he felt called to Christian ministry. Bevel was forced from his position in the SCLC after exhibiting erratic behaviour. [14], The Open Theater Movement, led by Bevel, had success in Nashville, the only city in the country where SCLC activists had organized such an action. It was later proven that a Ku Klux Klan chapter was responsible. Organizers appealed to the federal court against an injunction by the state against marching in order to complete their planned march to the capital. MARTIN: And you did try to tell your mother what was happening? [36], On April 10, 2008, after a three-hour deliberation, the jury convicted Bevel of incest. At that meeting, which had been suggested by James Lawson, Bevel and King agreed to work together on an equal basis, with neither having veto power over the other, on projects under the auspices of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Liese also shares custody of an 11-year-old son with her first husband, with whom the boy lives. [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. MARTIN: How many siblings do you believe were abused by your father? Another daughter, Sherilynn Bevel, confirmed the death, The Washington Post reported. This defendant should die in jail.". And unfortunately not all of us are able to see the abuse even things that are obvious. Another daughter, Sherilynn Bevel, confirmed the death, The Washington Post reported. LaRouche, characterized as a perennial candidate, was serving a prison sentence for mail fraud and tax evasion. What if that does happen? MARTIN: I mean you were a very young girl when the abuse started. She was kind enough to join us here on our Washington studio. And we try to stay on one side of what we think is right and good. That's a playboy talking to a prostitute," Bevel said on the witness stand shortly before he was sentenced. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. whose influence spurred a pivotal event of the civil rights movement, the childrens crusade in Birmingham, Ala., but whose reputation was later marred by fringe political associations and a criminal conviction this year on incest charges involving a teenage daughter, died Friday in Springfield, Va. How should we think about those two James Bevels? Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Daughter reconciles conflicting images of famous father. The Rev. He had 2 children Sherri Bevel, Douglass Bevel. He can be reached at 727-7357 or at jrailey@wsjournal.com. *James Bevel was born on this date in 1936. While working on SNCC's commitment to desegregate theaters, Bevel successfully directed the 1961 Nashville Open Theater Movement. [18] Bevel and Nash did not attend, and instead watched Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech on television. Besides being a leader in the Children's Crusade in which police turned fire hoses and dogs on child protesters, Bevel was also an organizer at other civil rights movement events, including the 1965 march at Selma, Ala. He appeared headed for a career as a pop music singer he had signed a contract with a record label when he felt called to the ministry and enrolled in the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, where he joined the local chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. I know there are forces of dark and evil and good and light in everyone. Mr. Bevel had been released from prison in November because he had pancreatic cancer. James Bevel was born on October 19, 1936 (age 71) in Itta Bena, Mississippi, United States. Enoch Bevel Spring 2010. And I never understood that. Ms. MILLS: Right, because I always wrote letters. In 2007, one of his daughters accused him of molesting her in the 90s. She said that "his thought process was this worldwide movement was for us.". And he usually - he played the role of judge and jury in these meetings. And I realized that, one, that it wasn't just you know, one way to live. Aaralyn Liese spoke out about her abuse in 2008 to protect a younger sister. So, we can assess it based on the truth or the facts in the matter and not just conspiracy as my father had called. [8][9] His last major action was as co-initiator of the 1995 Day of Atonement/Million Man March in Washington, D.C. For his work, Bevel has been called the strategist and architect of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement[10] and, with Dr. King, half of the first-tier team that formulated many of the strategies and actions to gain federal legislation and social changes during the 1960s civil rights era.[8][9]. Doctors estimate he has only six weeks to six months to live. 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. And then things I never understood as parents. What helped you to understand that? [20] Bevel was influential in gaining King's support for the anti-war movement,[13] and with King's agreeing to participate as a speaker Bevel agreed to lead the antiwar effort. But, you know, I was sad because I knew that he wouldn't be a grandfather. In 1963, SCLC agreed to assist its co-founder, Fred Shuttlesworth, and others in their work on desegregating retail businesses and jobs in Birmingham, Alabama, where discussion and negotiations with city officials had yielded few results. MARTIN: Have you spoken to your father since the trial? Do you think that's what it was? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Orrin and several of her siblings finally took action against him four years ago out of concern for his 7-and-a half-year-old daughter. Bevel then called off plans for the children's march. And we have to find a way, because they exist. The trial court found that abating the conviction would deny the victim the closure that she sought and denied the motion to abate. But Bevel testified and denied the charge. But she believes that justice must be served, and that the victims have to come first. James Bevel, a civil rights leader and close associate of Martin Luther King Jr.s, being sentenced to 15 years in prison for unlawful fornication. 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 . I would not have been able to do that without my other sisters. Bevel had 16 children with nine women. That really made me feel not just powerless but that, what can you do? When people ask me what my childhood was like, I know they expect a dark, ugly story, she says. So, it was my way of communicating to her. Bevel also attended workshops at the Highlander Folk School taught by its founder, Myles Horton, who emphasized grassroots organizing. There are other ways to live, and you could choose how you wanted to live your life. In 2005, Bevel was accused of incest by one of his daughters and abuse by three others. They were poor, and Bevel was a civil-rights giant. While in the Seminary, Bevel joined the Nashville chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), then led by the Reverend . As a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and then as its Director of Direct Action and Nonviolent Education, Bevel initiated, strategized, and developed SCLC's three major successes of the era:[2][3] the 1963 Birmingham Children's Crusade,[4] the 1965 Selma voting rights movement, and the 1966 Chicago open housing movement. The accuser was one of his daughters, who was 1315 years old at the time and lived with him. Ms. MILLS: I feel, I feel at peace with this whole process in terms of I'm happy that we stood on something and we followed it through. In 1967, Bevel was chairman of the Spring Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam. King asked Bevel to refrain from recruiting students, and Bevel instead said that he would organize the children to march to Washington D.C. to meet with Kennedy about segregation, and King agreed. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Im very proud to be the daughter of a man who contributed so much to the world through his civil rights work, one of his daughters, Chevarra Orrin, of Winston-Salem, N.C., told The Associated Press. [13], Actor and rapper Common portrays Bevel in the 2014 film Selma.[42]. 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. MARTIN: If you are just joining us, I'm speaking with Aaralyn Mills. 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. How do you understand that? 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. She is the daughter of James Bevel who was recently convicted of molesting her when she was a child. James Bevel was one of the key strategists of the civil rights movement. He unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1984, served as Lyndon LaRouches running mate in the 1992 U.S. presidential election, and helped organize the Million Man March in 1995. MARTIN: Your story was very painful to read. I love him for his role in the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the vote I was able to cast that helped put a man of color in the White House. Some veteran civil-rights activists told her and her siblings not to press charges against Bevel, Orrin said, because the publicity would hurt the legacy of the movement. Bevel suggested recruiting students in the campaign. Ms. MILLS: Yeah, that could be some, definitely can. The Rev. Hamer was incensed by efforts to deny Blacks the right to vote. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Civil rights activist Reverend James Luther Bevel was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, on October 19, 1936. While a seminarian, he participated in two forms of nonviolent protest against institutionalized racial segregation: sit-ins by African American youths at department-store lunch counters in 1960 and the Freedom Rides on bus lines throughout the South in 1961. There's no exception" Wittmann said. Ms. MILLS: I haven't spoken to him since the trial. . He also is the man who persuaded . He was 72. And my little sister who had a more recent experience in Chicago, she could have, but she could not talk. And I hid them in her purse or in her shoes and things. James L. Bevel, an adviser to the Rev. Eventually, the Freedom Riders reached their goal of New Orleans, Louisiana, generating nationwide coverage of the violence to maintain Jim Crow and white supremacy in the South.[16]. During his childhood years, he resided in both Itta Bena and in Cleveland, Ohio working as a plantation laborer in the . He is a celebrity civil rights leader. And I think the hardest part is not choosing a side to work toward and sticking to it. MARTIN: How did you become aware that this was wrong? Bevel was born in 1936 in Itta Bena, Mississippi, the son of Illie and Dennis Bevel. At the sentencing hearing, the victims said they were hoping that Bevel would apologize for his actions and seek forgiveness and reconciliation. Orrin and several of her siblings finally took action against him four years ago out of concern for his 7-and-a half-year-old daughter. Its that lovely thing A society grows great when old men , Justice Clarence Thomas' example shows need for better standards. 1 and Tennessee was No. He worked on a cotton plantation for a time as a youth and later in a steel mill. Its so amazing it doesnt matter if its yours or not. "I'm very proud to be the daughter of a man who contributed so much to the world through his civil-rights work," she told The Associated Press on Dec. 19, the day her father died at the age of 72. She recently finished a book, Becoming Aaralyn, and is looking for a publisher, a search she thinks will lead to Europe. And when I left there, I began that process of deciding and designing how I wanted to live my life. She married James Henry Bevel in Corpus Christi on January 27, 1956. He was 72. This was followed by a number of erratic-seeming episodes in his life. Bevel had 16 children with nine women. [13] Six weeks later he died of cancer, at the age of 72, in Springfield, Virginia. [12], In 1960, along with James Lawson's and Myles Horton's students Bernard Lafayette, John Lewis, Diane Nash, C.T. He put this barrier between us and the world. . He joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. I don't believe so. That it's supposed to be only for procreation, and you have to be forced to see that, just like you have to be forced to accept nonviolence by getting beaten. In the melee, Jackson was shot in the stomach while defending his mother from an attack. And we just - it just didn't worked because he reverts back to his role as the leader or the person who has to teach and help everybody to understand his perspective. In case of Aaralyn Mills, it was all three. Those that suffer in similar or different ways need to know that they don't have to carry the burden of their trauma and pain for the rest of their lives. He freed his people, focused the world's attention on peace, and used Mohandas Gandhi's tactics to change America . IE 11 is not supported. James Luther Bevel (born October 19, 1936 in Itta Bena, . Housing in the area was segregated in a de facto way, enforced by covenants and real estate practices. Bevel selected the student teams for the buses. 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. "There is something that reeks of moral depravity when an individual, whose sworn responsibility is to protect and serve and is fired for what. Market data provided by Factset. After serving seven months, he was freed awaiting an appeal; he died of pancreatic cancer in December 2008 and was buried in Eutaw, Alabama. Bevel proposed organizing the Alabama Voting Rights Project, and co-wrote the project proposal with his wife Diane Nash. She said . And you describe this - I don't know what words to use, it's almost like a trial at - so you decided you should put him on trial, and then he defended himself in this, I don't even really know how to describe it. And I know that good can win.. 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. 4. How many of your sisters? Happiness is amazing. He was also the largely absent father, Orrin said, who molested her one night when she was 12. After years of failed attempts to draw the concern of family members, Mills pursued charges against her father, and in April, Bevel was convicted of incest. Bevel was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, on 19 October 1936. [38], Bevel's attorney requested that the Court of Appeals of Virginia abate the conviction on account of Bevel's death. They invited King and other SCLC leaders to Selma to develop larger protests and actions, and work alongside Bevel's and Nash's Alabama Project. SNCC had been conducting a Voting Rights Project (headed by Prathia Hall and Worth Long) since the early 1960s, meeting with violence in Alabama. 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.
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