[12], In 1960, along with James Lawson's and Myles Horton's students Bernard Lafayette, John Lewis, Diane Nash, C.T. The large group were bludgeoned and tear-gassed in what became known as "Bloody Sunday". Daughter reconciles conflicting images of famous father. 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. During his four-day trial in 2008, the accusing daughter testified that she was repeatedly molested by him, beginning when she was six years old. Recently, Mills shared her story in the Washington Post Magazine, and she joins us now. 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. He can be reached at 727-7357 or at jrailey@wsjournal.com. "I do love my father," she wrote me in a follow-up e-mail. [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. MARTIN: How many siblings do you believe were abused by your father? Some protesters were jailed, but the movement kept the pressure on. [13] SCLC's remaining Board of Directors removed Bevel from his leadership positions in 1969. He was recently released on bond while appealing a . And I hid them in her purse or in her shoes and things. Eventually, her former husband agreed. Did you always know that it was wrong? [21], In 1968 Dr. King objected to Bevel and other SCLC organizers' opposition to proceeding with King's planned Poor People's Campaign. After leaving the SCLC the year prior, Bevel created the Making of the Man Clinic in 1970. We will have a link to it on our website. He helped with initiating and directing the 1961 and 1962 voting rights movement in Mississippi. Martin Luther King Jr. and a legendary leader of the student sit-in and Freedom Ride movements. James L. Bevel is shown in a photoprovided by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. The Court of Appeals affirmed this judgment. But, you know, I was sad because I knew that he wouldn't be a grandfather. 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. In case of Aaralyn Mills, it was all three. But she believes that justice must be served, and that the victims have to come first. The trial court found that abating the conviction would deny the victim the closure that she sought and denied the motion to abate. He's been violent, mean and abusive, but he's always been honest.". Bevel said that he had no interest in getting her pregnant. In 1961 James and Diane were married. He doesn't understand the whole dynamics of what's going on now. James Bevel. [31], In 1992, Bevel ran on LaRouche's ticket as the vice presidential candidate. In subsequent years Bevel continued his political activism. We didn't know each other really, and we were just getting to know each other, but I didn't know how difficult it would be. 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. The Rev. But prosecutors said his illness should not temper his sentence. 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. Thank you so much for speaking with us. [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. After serving seven months, he was freed awaiting an appeal; he died of pancreatic cancer in December 2008 and was buried in Eutaw, Alabama . He grew up working on a cotton plantation, all the time wondering "what can I possibly do to make a difference in ending segregation?" James Bevel (far left) outside the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Selma, Alabama, Birmingham News, crmvet.org Ms. AARALYN MILLS (Abuse Victim): Thank you for having me. 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. Her father, the Rev. 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. The Rev. Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly! How do we look at this country with these two dynamics? What helped you to understand that? And she always told me, no he doesn't do that to me, I have a wonderful relationship with my dad. And I think, all of us were abused in some way or another. 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. You have permission to edit this article. 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. Bevel had 16 children with nine women. He worked on a cotton plantation for a time as a youth and later in a steel mill. 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. The Rev. 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. 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. "Everyone dies. But before the Poor People's campaign occurred, King and the SCLC organizers traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, to organize a march in support of a sanitation strike after King's and James Lawson's first march had turned into a riot. 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. James Bevel, one of the architects of the civil rights movement, a chief lieutenant to Dr. Martin Luther King, was also a child molester. Ms. MILLS: Perhaps. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. James Luther Bevel (October 19, 1936 December 19, 2008) was a minister and leader of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement in the United States. 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. [5] He suggested that SCLC call for and join a March on Washington in 1963. Its that lovely thing A society grows great when old men , Justice Clarence Thomas' example shows need for better standards. Ms. MILLS: It is hard to describe because it's part of the whole environment that we lived in, in terms of having meetings to discuss problems. By the time they entered Montgomery 54 miles away, the marchers were thousands strong. Related Videos Bloody Sunday (TV-14; 4:10) Particularly by somebody who portrays himself as a freedom fighter, as a person who's fighting for human dignity. 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. 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 Nonetheless, Dr. King relied on his counsel. All rights reserved. He grew up in rural LeFlore County of the Mississippi Delta and in Cleveland. MARTIN: Your story was very painful to read. He was 72. Bevel was born in 1936 in Itta Bena, Mississippi, the son of Illie and Dennis Bevel. "People don't just wake up one morning and stop being a pedophile," Orrin said. 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. And then things I never understood as parents. [19] He worked to create tenant unions and build grassroots action to "end" slums. "Saying 'I'm sorry' is a game we play. In an opinion issued November 4, 2011, the commonwealth's Supreme Court held that abatement of criminal convictions was not available in Virginia under the circumstances of Bevel's case. This defendant should die in jail.". John Railey writes local editorials for the Journal. ", (For more information about the support group, call Orrin at 722-4671.). After the success of this action, and with the aid of SCLC's Ella Baker, activist students from Nashville and across the South developed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Americans like simple, straightforward plots where there are good guys and bad guys, she says, explaining that a friend told her the book feels like a foreign film. Bevel also attended workshops at the Highlander Folk School taught by its founder, Myles Horton, who emphasized grassroots organizing. Bevel was later instrumental in organizing the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., an event that was credited with helping to usher in the Voting Rights Act (1965). He was one of seventeen children. On February 16, 1965, Jimmie Lee Jackson, his mother, and grandfather took part in a nighttime march led by C. T. Vivian to protest the related jailing of activist James Orange in Marion, Alabama. 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. Charismatic and eloquently quick-witted in a vernacular style, Mr. Bevel was known as a man of passion and peculiarity. James Luther Bevel (born October 19, 1936 in Itta Bena, . LEESBURG, Va. A jury on Thursday convicted an iconic figure in the civil rights movement of incest, after concluding that he had sex with his teenage daughter 15 years ago. MARTIN: Have you spoken to your father since the trial? "At the end of the day, they're still our fathers, our mothers, our uncles and aunts and brothers and sisters," she said. Log In. You can cancel at any time. I know there are forces of dark and evil and good and light in everyone. Who can they turn to? [35], During the trial, prosecutors presented key evidence: a 2005 police-sting telephone call recorded by the Leesburg police without Bevel's knowledge. 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. So, it was my way of communicating to her. She'd like to see abusers get help as well. Soon after, another three daughters said he had sexually abused them as . Will YouTube dim the fire of preachers to the powerful. How did she react? And that you know they're my children, because my son knows his grandfather and he knows Martin Luther King and you know very respectful of him. Doctors estimate he has only six weeks to six months to live. And so, I had moved on and I had felt that my father perhaps - like it was my fault. So, we can assess it based on the truth or the facts in the matter and not just conspiracy as my father had called. daughter, Athena, clad in a pink leotard, twirl around her bright downtown Washington apartment, Aaralyn Liese says she cant help but be reminded of her own childhood. . Social services would have taken custody of Orrin and her siblings if they pressed charges, Orrin said her mother told her. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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). "It's fading, but I still have a strong feeling that my father was doing something, that he was working on some truth," said Mills, who agreed to be identified publicly. She said that her mother, who is white, told her that no one would have believed them. After a stint in the services, Bevel was called to the ministry and enrolled in the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee. I had no idea that it happened to anyone but me including my other sisters. You had moved on with your life, but there was another young girl, another child he had had through a subsequent marriage. Sherri Bevel, the daughter of civil rights legends Diane Nash and James Bevel, discussing her work spreading Kingian Nonviolence in Chicago with partner organization the Addie Wyatt Center for Nonviolence Training at #URISummerinstitite2017. Bevel had hoped for probation so he could enter hospice care. 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. The street lights were turned off by Alabama State Troopers who attacked the protesters. As Dr. Martin Luther King's collaborator, Bevel was a key strategist of the Southern Civil Rights Movement. It happened in the Memphis area when she staying with her father while her mother was out of town. We all sought to press charges in different environments and Virginia was the only one that was able to. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). James Luther Bevel, one of 17 children, was born on Oct 19, 1936, in Itta Bena, in central Mississippi, and divided his childhood between there and Cleveland, where he worked in the steel mills as a teenager. "I love him for the sacrifices he made that have enabled me to enjoy political freedom and social justice. They divorced after seven years. "My hope was for him to apologize in a Christian way, to repent. 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. [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]. MARTIN: Because you described kind of a cult-like environment where you were all being, the children, the family, the woman, and the family are being kind of trained to accept a certain kind of behavior. [12] He was one of 17 children and grew up in rural LeFlore County of the Mississippi Delta and in Cleveland, Ohio. In April of this year, Mr. Bevel was convicted of having sexual intercourse with one of his daughters in the 1990s, when the girl was a teenager. [18] Bevel and Nash did not attend, and instead watched Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech on television. 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. Kennedy's staff, who already were drafted one, came to an agreement on its contents with SCLC's leadership. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. I wrote her I love you letters, and you know, this was my day letters. When people ask me what my childhood was like, I know they expect a dark, ugly story, she says. [24], In the 1980s, Bevel supported Ronald Reagan as president. He and the others were arrested after they arrived in Jackson, Mississippi and tried to desegregate the waiting rooms in the bus terminal. He served in the U.S. 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. You know, it was just me. 4. Later efforts in Mississippi developed as Freedom Summer in 1964, when extensive voter education and registration efforts took place. And when I got the confirmation from other siblings that it happened to them as well it was something I had to do. In 1966, Bevel chose Chicago as the site of SCLC's long-awaited Northern Campaign. At the sentencing hearing, the victims said they were hoping that Bevel would apologize for his actions and seek forgiveness and reconciliation. I mean, I remember being afraid of being taken from my home, you know that that was an option that I could be leaved and I would have to stay at a foster home, and I had these horrible images that foster homes would be worse. But it's this idea that he was teaching all his daughters to look at the evils in the world and within men whatever - whoever the man was, whether it's your father or the guy next door or your husband. As the Chicago movement neared its conclusion A. J. Muste, David Dellinger, representatives of North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh, and others asked Bevel to take over the directorship of the Spring Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam. The news coverage, which featured children being water-hosed by police and more than 600 youth being arrested, prompted a groundswell of support for the civil rights movement. Another daughter, Sherilynn Bevel, confirmed the death, The Washington Post reported. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. 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. 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. [9] As the first march reached the end of the Edmund Pettus Bridge and passed out of the city, they were attacked by county police and Alabama State Troopers. In 2005, Bevel was accused of incest by one of his daughters and abuse by three others. In the 1960s, Bevel was a leader in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, two of the stalwart organizations that led efforts to desegregate the South. This was followed by a number of erratic-seeming episodes in his life. 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. IE 11 is not supported. Ms. MILLS: Right. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Having background is important to get the whole picture. He was tried in April 2008, convicted of incest, sentenced to 15 years in prison,[11] and fined $50,000. And Orrin said her mother correctly assumed that she would have been afraid to confront her father in court. 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. And I know that good can win.. He was tried in April 2008, convicted of incest, sentenced to 15 years in prison, [11] and fined $50,000. In September 1963, a bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham killed four young girls attending Sunday School and damaged the church. MARTIN: You wrote her a letter telling her what happen. In a Post story chronicling Lieses decision to come forward about the abuse. During what was later called the Birmingham Children's Crusade, President John F. Kennedy asked King to stop using children in the campaign. 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. I don't believe so. [40], In 1961, Bevel married activist Diane Nash after he completed his seminary studies. [13] Virginia had no statute of limitations for the offense of incest. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. No one wants the government in their home. Accuracy and availability may vary. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. In 1962, Bevel was invited to meet in Atlanta with Martin Luther King Jr, a minister who was head of the SCLC. A jury yesterday convicted an iconic figure in the civil rights movement of incest, after concluding that he had sex with his teenage daughter 15 years ago. Omissions? In the '80s he broke ranks to join the controversial Lyndon LaRouche, and in 2007 he was arrested on charges of sexually abusing one of his daughters. Though not a lawyer, Mr. Bevel offered to represent Mr. Ray in court. SNCC Chairman John Lewis and Amelia Boynton were both injured. Faithful to My Father's Dream. His bond was revoked and he was taken into custody. And it's the beginning because we - and our next step is to really continue to work on, part of it is brainstorming of how do you protect children within the home. James Bevel, a key aide to Rev. The biracial daughters of Reverend James Bevel, an influential sit-in leader and protest organizer, bemoan their absentee father, a civil rights "Daddy Dearest" who "speaks in political theory all the time" and lambastes interracial relationships. They could go to jail for this. I had a son at the time and I just had a daughter, but I just wanted to move on. 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." He said his family mistakenly perceived his refusal to deny the specific allegations against him as an admission of guilt. At the time, he was living and working in Leesburg, Virginia, near LaRouche's headquarters. . It includes this line: I'm gonna keep on a-walkin', Lord, keep on a-talking, Lord, marching up to freedom land. At the turn of the 20th century, southern state legislatures had passed new constitutions and laws that effectively disenfranchised most blacks. During that 90-minute call, Bevel's daughter asked him why he had sex with her the one time in 1993, and she asked him why he wanted her to use a vaginal douche afterward. I mean my little sister was 14 at that time, but what if you know - what can you really do? Aaralyn Liese spoke out about her abuse in 2008 to protect a younger sister. Martin Luther King Jr., the head of the SCLC. And I remember in school they talked about good touches and bad touches, but the difference was, I didn't trust the people in school. He died on December 19, 2008, Springfield, VA. Thank you so much for speaking with us. Martin Luther King Jr. to tear down the walls of segregation. James Bevel, October 19, James Bevel was an American minister and prominent civil rights activist.. James Bevel, October 19, James Bevel was an American minister and prominent civil rights activist.. . They also revealed that at least four other daughters Bevel had with various women have made similar allegations against him. 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. And I think the hardest part is not choosing a side to work toward and sticking to it. And I wanted so much for him, not just to be a grandfather for grandfather's sake, but for him to find healing in himself and to come to some peace in himself so that he could be a grandfather and father. We have great country we live in that had slavery. And unfortunately not all of us are able to see the abuse even things that are obvious. Bevel spent weeks developing strategy, recruiting and educating students in the philosophy and techniques of nonviolence. [32] He engaged in LaRouche seminars on issues including "Is the Anti Defamation League the new KKK? He joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. And I never understood that. After serving seven months, he was freed awaiting an appeal; he died of pancreatic cancer in December 2008 and was buried in Eutaw, Alabama. And my grandmother was also there, and I didn't want my grandmother to know. As I looked at him, I thought about the father he was to me, the . And my little sister who had a more recent experience in Chicago, she could have, but she could not talk. How many of your sisters? ", "I don't believe he was a monster. I wanted to ask why you decided that now was the time to tell it. 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.
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