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. He often wore overalls over a shirt and tie; he shaved his head and sometimes covered it with a yarmulke in honor of Old Testament prophets. LaRouche, characterized as a perennial candidate, was serving a prison sentence for mail fraud and tax evasion. She was not able to deal with it. "There's no excuse for his philosophy in the law, or whether he's eccentric, or whether he's an historical figure. MARTIN: You confronted your father at one point. He died on December 19, 2008, Springfield, VA. 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. 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. 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.. . Sentencing guidelines called for probation only. And I know that good can win.. 4. I wrote her I love you letters, and you know, this was my day letters. Ready to start the second half of my life, after the funeral, Liese says she began to question her marriage. . On April 10, 2008, after a three-hour deliberation, the jury found Bevel guilty, his bond was revoked, and he was taken into custody. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. They moved to Alabama to implement the project along with Birmingham student activist James Orange. 1 and Tennessee was No. In 1962 Bevel met with Rev. Orrin, a 40-year-old mother, has spent most of her life trying to reconcile her feelings about her father. And I didn't say anything to them, mainly because they knew - because they had either witnessed it or I'd witness them doing behavior. [5] He suggested that SCLC call for and join a March on Washington in 1963. This rally was attended by tens of thousands of peace activists who followed the growing counterculture movement. This information, his behavior in now also part of history. I had a son at the time and I just had a daughter, but I just wanted to move on. Having background is important to get the whole picture. Bevel then launched into an extended explanation of his philosophy, which includes applying the teachings of the New Testament to the "science of constitutionality." 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. Just a man with human frailty perhaps incapable of facing himself in the end.". 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. He was recently released on bond while appealing a . But she believes that justice must be served, and that the victims have to come first. There's no exception" Wittmann said. Who can they turn to? The Rev. MARTIN: How did you become aware that this was wrong? He and the others were arrested after they arrived in Jackson, Mississippi and tried to desegregate the waiting rooms in the bus terminal. As an adult, Orrin asked her father why he had not provided for his children. 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. They were poor, and Bevel was a civil-rights giant. He put this barrier between us and the world. Orrin said he made no denials. One of the reasons you pressed charges and it was decided that you would press charges is it's the statute of limitations in Virginia which is where this acts took place allowed him to be prosecuted. James Bevel was one of the key strategists of the civil rights movement. "People don't just wake up one morning and stop being a pedophile," Orrin said. In 1966, Bevel chose Chicago as the site of SCLC's long-awaited Northern Campaign. Copyright 2008 NPR. His bond was revoked and he was taken into custody. Bevel was convicted of incest in April 2008. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. Bevel then called off plans for the children's march. James L. Bevel, The Freedom Rides, This page was last edited on 26 March 2023, at 04:18. 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: So in his world, he decides what true and not true. 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. 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. He freed his people, focused the world's attention on peace, and used Mohandas Gandhi's tactics to change America . 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. Who's watching their backs? Bevel spent weeks developing strategy, recruiting and educating students in the philosophy and techniques of nonviolence. And as if it was a conspiracy against him. MARTIN: What made you realized that it was wrong? You have permission to edit this article. 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. Bevel's legacy is muddled, though. Years later, Orrin said, she asked her mother why they never pressed charges. The large group were bludgeoned and tear-gassed in what became known as "Bloody Sunday". [13] King was initially reluctant, but agreed. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Thank you so much for speaking with us. 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. His brother - and we were all present, either on the phone or live. MARTIN: How many siblings do you believe were abused by your father? She'd like to see abusers get help as well. The trial court found that abating the conviction would deny the victim the closure that she sought and denied the motion to abate. The Associated Press generally does not identify the victims of sexual abuse. And know that it could come back to them pretty harsh. 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And yes, she dismissed it in that regard. [13] SCLC's remaining Board of Directors removed Bevel from his leadership positions in 1969. He can be reached at 727-7357 or at jrailey@wsjournal.com. 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. Bevel was in the parking lot of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis and witnessed King's assassination on April 4, 1968. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Less than a month after his sentencing in October 2008, Bevel was released from prison on appeal. At the turn of the 20th century, southern state legislatures had passed new constitutions and laws that effectively disenfranchised most blacks. 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. On December 19, 2008, at the age of 72, he died of pancreatic cancer in Springfield, Virginia. Ms. MILLS: Right. There was this American fellow, James Bevel, who initiated and organized the main events of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, and then turned around twice and initiated the first large-scale protests of the Anti-Vietnam War Movement. The Rev. Unable to have children of their own, the Hamers adopted two daughters. Less than a month after his sentencing in October 2008, Bevel was released from prison on appeal. He doesn't understand the whole dynamics of what's going on now. Did you always know that it was wrong? "I do love my father," she wrote me in a follow-up e-mail. James Luther Bevel (October 19, 1936 December 19, 2008) was a minister and leader of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement in the United States. He was recently released on bond while appealing a. Six weeks later, he died of pancreatic cancer. [37] On October 15, 2008, the judge sentenced him, based on the jury's recommendation, to 15 years in prison and fined him $50,000. Later efforts in Mississippi developed as Freedom Summer in 1964, when extensive voter education and registration efforts took place. [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. But that you have to come to some understanding of what sex is outside of pleasure. Martin Luther King Jr. and a legendary leader of the student sit-in and Freedom Ride movements. 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 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). Hoffman also questioned why the daughter returned to voluntarily live with her father after the alleged incest. It must have been even more painful to tell. And I always thought that was odd and that people would do something that's not going to be forgotten. [24], In the 1980s, Bevel supported Ronald Reagan as president. 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. They also revealed that at least four other daughters Bevel had with various women have made similar allegations against him. Housing in the area was segregated in a de facto way, enforced by covenants and real estate practices. During the call he explains the importance of teaching his daughter "the science of marriage" and admits that he did not want her to get pregnant after the incident. 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. MARTIN: Your story was very painful to read. The Rev. To fight those feelings, she decided to track down her attacker. She married James Henry Bevel in Corpus Christi on January 27, 1956. Ms. MILLS: Well, I don't understand it. "Saying 'I'm sorry' is a game we play. Orrin, 32, is the daughter of Rev. Her father, the Rev. Much of it was revealed during a 2008 trial that ended with her father, the Rev. MARTIN: Aaralyn Mills tells her powerful story of rape and recovery in the pages of the Washington Post Magazine. 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. 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. He was educated at segregated local schools in both Mississippi and Cleveland. 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. Even before the final march occurred, President Lyndon Johnson had gone on national television to address a joint session of Congress, appealing for passage of his administration-backed comprehensive Voting Rights Act. Bevel had hoped for probation so he could enter hospice care. By the time they entered Montgomery 54 miles away, the marchers were thousands strong. 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. You know, so it was just - it was like, why? 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. *James Bevel was born on this date in 1936. 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. 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. Kennedy's staff, who already were drafted one, came to an agreement on its contents with SCLC's leadership. Bevel had 16 children with nine women. [38], Bevel's attorney requested that the Court of Appeals of Virginia abate the conviction on account of Bevel's death. During what was later called the Birmingham Children's Crusade, President John F. Kennedy asked King to stop using children in the campaign. [citation needed]. She could not share it. 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. How do you understand that? Happiness is amazing. Legal Statement. His contention that convicted assassin James Earl Ray was not guilty of Kings murder embarrassed many in the movement. After high school he served in the U.S. Navy for a time and pursued a career as a singer. I mean my little sister was 14 at that time, but what if you know - what can you really do? 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. At the age of seventy-two, James Bevel had seen and experienced more than most men. 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. That resilience has been tested recently. 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. Accuracy and availability may vary. Orrin said she too was molested by her father when she was a child. How many of your sisters? 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. From the Helen L. Bevel Archives, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Bevel&oldid=1146647965, Statements by Rev. "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. He received an appeal bond on November 4, 2008, and was released from jail three days later, after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. He suggested a march from Selma to Montgomery, the capital, to protest Jackson's death and press Governor George Wallace to support voting rights for African Americans. The Rev. But prosecutors said his illness should not temper his sentence. After King was assassinated, Bevel made a bizarre[a] claim that James Earl Ray was not the killer and that he had evidence that Ray was innocent. 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. 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." Sherri talked a little about being the daughter of the iconic Civil Rights leaders. In 1963, as the Alabama project director for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the organization led by Dr. King, Mr. Bevel persuaded Dr. King to allow children to participate in antisegregation demonstrations, in which they would almost surely face arrest. "[33] When Bevel introduced LaRouche at a convention of the 1996 National African American Leadership Summit, both men were booed off the stage. And when she told me that everything I told her about what's happening as I was telling her that really hurt me. And Orrin said her mother correctly assumed that she would have been afraid to confront her father in court. Recently, Mills shared her story in the Washington Post Magazine, and she joins us now. Aaralyn Mills, good luck to you. Six weeks later, he died of pancreatic cancer. She wrote a remarkable series of articles that told his story as well as her own. Related Videos Bloody Sunday (TV-14; 4:10) Anyone can read what you share. Did you always sense that it was wrong? They agreed to work until they had ended segregation, obtained voting rights, and ensured that all American children had a quality education. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. [13] In 1986, Bevel, Chicago alderman Danny K. Davis, singer-songwriter Kristin Lems, and others participated in a project of creating a summit in Chicago for Gorbachev and Reagan to bring peace and resolution to the ongoing Cold War. 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. In spite of everything, I was a happy kid, resilient, she says. The street lights were turned off by Alabama State Troopers who attacked the protesters. [31], In 1992, Bevel ran on LaRouche's ticket as the vice presidential candidate. A deathbed interview with Rev. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Ms. MILLS: I mean we have to look at a lot of aspects of life, in those parallels. 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. I secured political freedoms for you." He joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Eventually, her former husband agreed. Bevel also attended workshops at the Highlander Folk School taught by its founder, Myles Horton, who emphasized grassroots organizing. Ms. AARALYN MILLS (Abuse Victim): Thank you for having me. Will YouTube dim the fire of preachers to the powerful. Practices such as requiring payment of poll taxes and literacy tests administered in a discriminatory way by white officials maintained the exclusion of blacks from the political system in the 1960s. All rights reserved. MARTIN: Your father's name is one that appears in many, many history books. 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. 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. The Court of Appeals affirmed this judgment. Liese also shares custody of an 11-year-old son with her first husband, with whom the boy lives. 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. He was recently released on bond while appealing a 15-year. Do you think that's what it was? Chris Kaiser bought a kit and built a grain silo thinking he would use it for storage. MARTIN: I mean you were a very young girl when the abuse started. How do we look at this country with these two dynamics? 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. Ms. MILLS: I don't, I don't think he's mentally ill. And when I left there, I began that process of deciding and designing how I wanted to live my life. Bevel would not reveal the evidence, and Ray was convicted of the crime. I've never known him to be a liar. She said he told her, "I got you the right to vote. But this was the meeting in which we called other members of the community, Bernard Layfette and Will Sanders and as well as relatives. 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. "We continue to cloak and veil child sexual abuse in shame and secrecy. 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. When people ask me what my childhood was like, I know they expect a dark, ugly story, she says. She said that "his thought process was this worldwide movement was for us.". Bevel never submitted the collected petitions and left the state the following summer. [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. Some protesters were jailed, but the movement kept the pressure on. SNCC had been conducting a Voting Rights Project (headed by Prathia Hall and Worth Long) since the early 1960s, meeting with violence in Alabama.