During this period Bevel joined with fellow seminarian John Lewis, Diane Nash from Fisk University, and Vanderbilts James Lawson in the Nashville movement to initiate a local sit-in campaign in early February 1960. After time in the military service, he became a minister. The Rev. The trial court found that abating the conviction would deny the victim the closure that she sought and denied the motion to abate. You know, so it was just - it was like, why? And I realized that, one, that it wasn't just you know, one way to live. Bevel was forced from his position in the SCLC after exhibiting erratic behaviour. In 1962, Bevel was invited to meet in Atlanta with Martin Luther King Jr, a minister who was head of the SCLC. They also revealed that at least four other daughters Bevel had with various women have made similar allegations against him. And you can listen to it for, you know, over and over again and it won't make sense. Oh I come from a land, from a faraway place. [26][27] A year earlier, Bevel had denounced the deprogramming of a Moon follower and called for the protection of religious rights. They buried him on the spot by the temple and his gravestone is still there by the temple (in c. 160). "[33] When Bevel introduced LaRouche at a convention of the 1996 National African American Leadership Summit, both men were booed off the stage. And the sand in the glass is right. The accuser was one of his daughters, who was 1315 years old at the time and lived with him. And he used his historical background in the civil rights as an example of see what I did so far, I'm still doing that. MARTIN: You wrote her a letter telling her what happen. They moved to Alabama to implement the project along with Birmingham student activist James Orange. Mr. Bevel attended New Hope Church of Christ and was president of the Whitaker Cemetery Board. Bevel and others were grieved and outraged. Bevel moved to Chicago in 1965 to begin laying the groundwork for a nonviolent northern civil rights drive. This civil rights activist, minister, lyricist, and human rights advocate gained a national reputation for both his . How did James Bevel die? Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [citation needed]. During his childhood years, he resided in both Itta Bena and in Cleveland, Ohio working as a plantation laborer in the . Do you think that's what it was? . Bevel died Friday in Vir LaRouche, characterized as a perennial candidate, was serving a prison sentence for mail fraud and tax evasion. He and the others were arrested after they arrived in Jackson, Mississippi and tried to desegregate the waiting rooms in the bus terminal. . Springfield, Virginia, USA; Recently Passed Away Celebrities and Famous People. He was 72. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. [13] While at seminary, Bevel reread Leo Tolstoy's 1894 book The Kingdom of God Is Within You, which had previously inspired his decision to leave the military. 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. He was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1959 and went on to pastor the Chestnut Grove Baptist Church. 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. And so, I had moved on and I had felt that my father perhaps - like it was my fault. Bevel also read several of Mohandas Gandhi's books and newspapers while taking off-campus workshops on Gandhi's philosophy and nonviolent techniques taught by James Lawson of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. 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. Come on down, stop on by. 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. Ms. MILLS: Right, because I always wrote letters. 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. Weeks of demonstrations and marches resulted in King, Ralph Abernathy, and Shuttlesworth being arrested and jailed. Marriage didn't slow down her activism. How did James bevel die? [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 left SCLC after Kings death and became involved in the Republican Party and the 1995 Million Man March. And we'll decide what to do as a family. He decides what's right and not right. Bevel was at Kings side during many of the major campaigns of the, (SCLC) and was at the Lorraine Motel at the time of Kings, Bevel feared that activists who were not committed to. 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. His bond was revoked and he was taken into custody. James Luther Bevel (October 19, 1936 December 19, 2008) was a minister and leader of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement in the United States. 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. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. whose influence spurred a pivotal event of the civil rights movement, the "children's 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. And my grandmother was also there, and I didn't want my grandmother to know. You can also ask your. James Bevel was the charismatic Southern Christian Leadership Conference field general who organized and led many of the actions of the Chicago Freedom Movement.Born in Mississippi in 1936, Bevel came to the civil rights movement after training to be a minister at the American Baptist Seminary and a brief stint in the Army.. Bevel first learned of the potential of non-violent direct action in . Although Bevel initially intended to pursue a recording career, he felt called to Christian ministry. In subsequent years Bevel continued his political activism. Bevel went on to become national director of the Spring Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam in 1967 and, the following year, joined King in the effort to win the Memphis sanitation workers strike. ); and chairman of the Camden, New Jersey, County Economic Development Board. MARTIN: If you are just joining us, I'm speaking with Aaralyn Mills. "Dr. King could not have done the things he did unless he had a James Bevel." ---- Ralph David Abernathy "He was a great philosopher, an unbelievable philosopher." She said Bevel's recent conviction does not detract from his work in the civil rights movement. And we try to stay on one side of what we think is right and good. A Baptist minister, Bevel was a leader in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, two of the stalwart organizations that led efforts in the 1960s to desegregate the South. Organizers appealed to the federal court against an injunction by the state against marching in order to complete their planned march to the capital. She was prominently involved with integrating lunch counters through sit-ins, the Freedom Riders, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating . I'm Michel Martin, and this is tell me more from NPR News. And I hid them in her purse or in her shoes and things. 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. We are not just, you know, one way all the time. Particularly by somebody who portrays himself as a freedom fighter, as a person who's fighting for human dignity. MARTIN: Aaralyn Mills tells her powerful story of rape and recovery in the pages of the Washington Post Magazine. 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. He passed away on 19 December 2008 from pancreatic cancer. Bevel spent weeks developing strategy, recruiting and educating students in the philosophy and techniques of nonviolence. Primarily known for his role as tough guy Sonny . Doctors estimate he has only six weeks to six months to live. Politically Mr. Bevel drifted to the right, supporting Ronald Reagans presidency and tying himself to Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr., the perpetual fringe candidate for president. Bevel served as pastor of the Hebraic-Christian-Islamic Assembly in Chicago; a board member of Chicago's Fulfilling Our Responsibilities Unto Mankind (F.O.R.U.M. That's not to excuse the extremes in which people go, but it's the understanding. He suggested a march from Selma to . [24], In the 1980s, Bevel supported Ronald Reagan as president. That really made me feel not just powerless but that, what can you do? This kind of pseudo-philosophical - I'm not even sure - how do would you describe it? [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]. So, I really felt powerless. James L. Bevel is shown in a photoprovided by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. James Bevel was born on October 19, 1936 in Itta Bena, Mississippi, USA. Accuracy and availability may vary. The demonstrations, early that year, overwhelmed the city, and the news coverage, complete with televised images of black children being arrested or soaked and bowled over by law enforcement officers wielding powerful fire hoses, helped rally much of the American public to the side of the civil rights movement. 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. All photos and bio are bevel-cut and double matted under glass. Bevel suggested recruiting students in the campaign. He joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. There a lot of people who have - who didn't go through what you went through, who would not had been able to do what you did. Bevel served several months of his 15-year sentence before he was released in November on bond while appealing. The street lights were turned off by Alabama State Troopers who attacked the protesters. Bevel was convicted of unlawful fornication; he was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined $50,000. MARTIN: How many siblings do you believe were abused by your father? In 1993, two 10-year-old boys tortured and murdered the toddler after leading him away from a . On May 2, 1963, children marched from the 16th Street Baptist Church, and 600 were arrested on that first day of demonstrations. After serving seven months he was freed awaiting an appeal; he died of pancreatic cancer in December 2008. How did James Bevel contribute to the Civil Rights Movement? Four other daughters make allegationsProsecutors estimated that Bevel, who is eligibile for parole, would serve no more than five years if he were to live that long. Bevel was a top lieutenant to Martin Luther King Jr. Born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, James Luther Bevel grew up partly in Cleveland, Ohio. [21], In 1968 Dr. King objected to Bevel and other SCLC organizers' opposition to proceeding with King's planned Poor People's Campaign. In the melee, Jackson was shot in the stomach while defending his mother from an attack. Ms. MILLS: Well, I don't understand it. Court testimony revealed that accusation had stemmed from a family reunion during which several family members recalled having been molested by Mr. Bevel. Omissions? "He confronted Bevel, who had been a mentor to Jackson and Young, as 'a genius who flummoxed his own heart'. The Court of Appeals remanded the case to the trial court to determine whether there was good cause not to abate the conviction. 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. My childhood was isolated in terms of - I wasn't isolated in terms of I couldn't interact with people outside, or I didn't go to school but in terms of my father's teachings. Ms. MILLS: I mean we have to look at a lot of aspects of life, in those parallels. James Bevel was born on October 19, 1936 and died on December 19, 2008. [citation needed] During his speech to the crowd that day, Bevel called for a larger march in Washington D.C., a plan that evolved into the October 1967 March on the Pentagon. James Luther Bevel (October 19, 1936 December 19, 2008) was a minister and leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Ms. MILLS: The hardest part was learning of everyone's story. [6] Bevel went to the children and asked them to prepare to take to the highways for a march on Washington, with the goal of questioning the President about his plans to end legal segregation in America. 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. Many of them died martyrs' deaths, just as King did. The actor's assistant, Karen Lindsey, confirmed his death in a Facebook post, stating that he died of natural . Where did James Bevel die? [17] Activists encountered severe violence at that time and retreated to regroup. In the 1980s and 1990s, Bevel founded Students for Education and Economic Development (SEED). In a shocking development, Crystal stated that her brothers, Robert and Michael, were responsible for the attacks. MARTIN: Some people would call it intervention. Bevel also attended workshops at the Highlander Folk School taught by its founder, Myles Horton, who emphasized grassroots organizing. Ms. MILLS: I haven't spoken to him since the trial. You had moved on with your life, but there was another young girl, another child he had had through a subsequent marriage. From previous discussions with King, and from work of American Friends Service Committee activist Bill Moyer, Bevel organized, and directed the Chicago open housing movement. 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. Related Videos Bloody Sunday(TV-14; 4:10) Civil Rights Foot Soldiers(TV-14; 4:10) March from Selma to Montgomery(TV-14; 4:13) Bevel was at Kings side during many of the major campaigns of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and was at the Lorraine Motel at the time of Kings assassination in 1968. And I think the hardest part is not choosing a side to work toward and sticking to it. That was our hope, but he wasn't ready to look at himself. There are other ways to live, and you could choose how you wanted to live your life. 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. And she was telling things that I experienced and that connected to me. [25], In 1989, Bevel and Abernathy organized the National Committee Against Religious Bigotry and Racism. BEVEL, amongst cabinet-makers and joiners, is an in strument used to take any angle with, or by which to mark a line which is not square. "My hope was for him to apologize in a Christian way, to repent. SNCC Chairman John Lewis and Amelia Boynton were both injured. In the early 1960s, young Black college students conducted sit-ins around America to protest the segregation of restaurants. This beautifully matted collector's photo presentation is a collage. [5] Together the groups became collectively known as the Selma Voting Rights Movement, with James Bevel as its director. WASHINGTON - The Rev. 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). [36], On April 10, 2008, after a three-hour deliberation, the jury convicted Bevel of incest. Nonetheless, Dr. King relied on his counsel. Ms. MILLS: Is he appealing? Bevel was in the parking lot of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis and witnessed King's assassination on April 4, 1968. The Rev. 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. A young man, he died a few days later. In 1968, Mr. Bevel was at the Memphis motel where Dr. King was assassinated, and in a bizarre post-mortem, he claimed that the man who was arrested for (and later convicted of) the shooting, James Earl Ray, was not the killer and that he had evidence which he declined to reveal that Mr. Ray was innocent. [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. After the news media highlighted police commissioner Eugene "Bull" Connor's violent treatment of the children, public opinion began to shift in favor of the civil rights movement. The 911 call was later reported to be made by Daniel. As he prepared to work on the Alabama voter registration movement that would later culminate in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March, Bevel informed King that more staff was needed to build a nonviolent movement in Alabama.
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