On May 2, 1963, children marched from the 16th Street Baptist Church, and 600 were arrested on that first day of demonstrations. How should we think about those two James Bevels? The 15-year sentence imposed by Circuit Judge Burke McCahill was the most severe allowed. MARTIN: Your father's name is one that appears in many, many history books. And she always told me, no he doesn't do that to me, I have a wonderful relationship with my dad. 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. James Bevel was born on October 19, 1936 and died on December 19, 2008. She was not able to deal with it. Tina Howard Bevel Expand search. 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. At the time, Bevel was living in Leesburg, Virginia, and working with LaRouche's group, whose international headquarters was a few blocks from Bevel's apartment. Come on down, stop on by. 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. Bevel then called off plans for the children's march. 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. And the heat is intense. 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. 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. James E Bevel James Bevel . [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. MARTIN: Aaralyn Mills tells her powerful story of rape and recovery in the pages of the Washington Post Magazine. During his trial, testimony indicated that Bevel considered it parents' duty to "sexually orient" their children. Klan, a lot of Klan activity. And I hid them in her purse or in her shoes and things. Credited by Martin Luther King with initiating the Children's Crusade during the Birmingham Campaign of 1963, James Bevel emerged as a civil rights leader from the ranks of the Nashville, Tennessee, student movement. They were led to an 18-year-old Robert Bever and his 16-year-old brother, Michael. And unfortunately not all of us are able to see the abuse even things that are obvious. She wrote a remarkable series of articles that told his story as well as her own. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. You still found the strength to get together to try to rescue this younger sibling who was still in harm's way, according to what you had experienced. You know, it was just me. His bond was revoked and he was taken into custody. The Likely Lads, as well as the television . 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. Civil Rights Activist. 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. After a stint in the services, Bevel was called to the ministry and enrolled in the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee. [17] Activists encountered severe violence at that time and retreated to regroup. His pressure paid off, and at the May 1964 executive staff meeting King recommended that SCLC increase its presence in Alabama. After serving seven months he was freed awaiting an appeal; he died of pancreatic cancer in December 2008. She was prominently involved with integrating lunch counters through sit-ins, the Freedom Riders, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating . [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. 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. [35], During the trial, prosecutors presented key evidence: a 2005 police-sting telephone call recorded by the Leesburg police without Bevel's knowledge. Many of them died martyrs' deaths, just as King did. James Luther Bevel (October 19, 1936 - December 19, 2008) was a leader of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement who, as the Director of Direct Action and Director of Nonviolent Education of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), i . How old was James Bevel when he died? demonstration[s] for the sake of demonstrating. 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. Bevel left SCLC after Kings death and became involved in the Republican Party and the 1995 Million Man March. 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. We will have a link to it on our website. At that time, prosecutors revealed at least four other daughters had made similar allegations against him. After time in the military service, he became a minister. Ms. MILLS: Well first of all, I had that feeling, too, that I didn't want to touch it, that I have moved on with my life. [36], On April 10, 2008, after a three-hour deliberation, the jury convicted Bevel of incest. 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. on the Alabama project (Bevel, 13 April 1964). In Birmingham when Dr. Martin Luther King was jailed, Bevel organized what became known as the Children's Crusade and faced Police Commissioner Bull Connor's fire hoses and police dogs. 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. Doctors estimate he has only six weeks to six months to live. Here are 10 other facts if you don't know you should about the civil rights leader. In his home state, Bevel created the SCLC Mississippi Project for voting rights in 1962. But in April, a jury convicted Bevel of incest for having sex more than a decade ago with a then-teenage daughter. Prosecutors said the assault occurred in Loudoun County, when Bevel was working closely with the Virginia-based organization led by LaRouche. Screenshots are considered by the King Estate a violation of this notice. This beautifully matted collector's photo presentation is a collage. And I would always tell her the things that he did to me and what he would say if he got a chance to do it to her. Ms. MILLS: The hardest part was learning of everyone's story. [31], In 1992, Bevel ran on LaRouche's ticket as the vice presidential candidate. Instead, Bevel mocked the notion of an apology. MARTIN: One thing I want to point out is that one of the reasons that you decided to move forward with pressing charges is that there was a young woman in the house or a young girl in the house, with your father at the time your parents marriage had ended. James Luther Bevel was born on October 19, 1936, in the town of Itta Bena, Mississippi. 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. I wanted to ask why you decided that now was the time to tell it. No one wants the government in their home. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. Born 1927 and died 2001. 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) Having background is important to get the whole picture. Court testimony revealed that accusation had stemmed from a family reunion during which several family members recalled having been molested by Mr. Bevel. Particularly by somebody who portrays himself as a freedom fighter, as a person who's fighting for human dignity. . In 1962 Bevel left SNCC to become Mississippi field secretary for SCLC. 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. Although Bevel initially intended to pursue a recording career, he felt called to Christian ministry. WASHINGTON - The Rev. This movement ended within a Summit Conference that included Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley. While working on SNCC's commitment to desegregate theaters, Bevel successfully directed the 1961 Nashville Open Theater Movement. He died on December 19, 2008 in Springfield, Virginia, USA. I don't want to relive any of that. Thank you so much for speaking with us. While in the Seminary, Bevel joined the Nashville chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), then led by the Reverend . He was recently released on bond while appealing a 15-year prison sentence. Bevel died Friday in Virginia after . Where was James Luther Bevel born and raised? Sherrilynn Bevel, a daughter, said he died of pancreatic cancer Dec. 19 at her home in Springfield, Va. She said Bevel, who was freed on bond because of ill health, had been there since Nov. 8. Susan Jameson, a highly important and quite distinct person, is happily married to James Bolam. 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. 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. James Luther Bevel (October 19, 1936 December 19, 2008) was a minister and leader of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement in the United States. In 1992, he was vice presidential running mate to political extremist Lyndon LaRouche, who at the time was in a federal prison for a tax conviction. In the melee, Jackson was shot in the stomach while defending his mother from an attack. 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. I have to say, I think that it is powerfully courageous thing to do. Diane Nash is an acclaimed American civil rights activist. Ms. MILLS: I don't, I don't think he's mentally ill. The street lights were turned off by Alabama State Troopers who attacked the protesters. "My hope was for him to apologize in a Christian way, to repent. Memorialize James's life with photos and stories about him and the Bevel family history and genealogy. These quality collectors pieces are designed for visual appeal. Updated: November 11, 2011 . He was recently released on bond while appealing a 15-year prison sentence. She would be arrested many times including spending 30 days in jail in South . People Photos Purpose. He was a Black Civil rights activist and minister. This button displays the currently selected search type. 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. 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. Ms. MILLS: Well, I don't understand it.