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 helped with initiating and directing the 1961 and 1962 voting rights movement in Mississippi. Chris Kaiser bought a kit and built a grain silo thinking he would use it for storage. Who's watching their backs? It was such a fundamental affront to human dignity, to force sex upon a girl who's too young to consent, too young to understand what's going on, to abuse your position as the head of the household. [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. A wild man from Itta Bena, Mississippi, Taylor Branch called him in Parting the Waters, the first volume of his history of the civil rights movement, a self-described example of the legendary chicken-eating, liquor-drinking, woman-chasing Baptist preacher.. 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. He's been violent, mean and abusive, but he's always been honest.". At a family reunion, three other daughters had also alleged that Bevel sexually abused them. 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. [23] Bevel continued to oppose the Poor People's Campaign, but served as its Director of Nonviolent Education. A fight broke out between LaRouche supporters and black nationalists.[34]. MARTIN: Aaralyn Mills tells her powerful story of rape and recovery in the pages of the Washington Post Magazine. MARTIN: How do you understand this as this kind of culture of acceptance of abuse of children? "If you're going to bring it up at all, deal with it in a way that's helpful and healing," she said last week. He was one of seventeen children. He is a celebrity civil rights leader. I've never known him to be a liar. 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. 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. He is awaiting sentence now. Jurors heard a phone call between Bevel and his daughter in which he never explicitly admits to sexual intercourse but seems to take for granted that it occurred. 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. 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. In 1967, Bevel was chairman of the Spring Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. He said his family mistakenly perceived his refusal to deny the specific allegations against him as an admission of guilt. The street lights were turned off by Alabama State Troopers who attacked the protesters. This rally was attended by tens of thousands of peace activists who followed the growing counterculture movement. Bevel had hoped for probation so he could enter hospice care. Bevel then launched into an extended explanation of his philosophy, which includes applying the teachings of the New Testament to the "science of constitutionality." Faithful to My Father's Dream. [40], In 1961, Bevel married activist Diane Nash after he completed his seminary studies. She is the daughter of James Bevel who was recently convicted of molesting her when she was a child. The Rev. [36], On April 10, 2008, after a three-hour deliberation, the jury convicted Bevel of incest. 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. 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. She and several of her siblings compiled affidavits detailing sexual abuse and confronted their father. Instead, Bevel mocked the notion of an apology. You had moved on with your life, but there was another young girl, another child he had had through a subsequent marriage. And he usually - he played the role of judge and jury in these meetings. 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. But, you know, I was sad because I knew that he wouldn't be a grandfather. Her father, the Rev. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. The Court of Appeals affirmed this judgment. 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. Naval Reserve in 1954 and 1955 before entering the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee. [13] King was initially reluctant, but agreed. And I think the hardest part is not choosing a side to work toward and sticking to it. 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. She recently finished a book, Becoming Aaralyn, and is looking for a publisher, a search she thinks will lead to Europe. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. He put this barrier between us and the world. Eventually, her former husband agreed. The daughter testified that she went back because she had nowhere else to go. 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. There are other ways to live, and you could choose how you wanted to live your life. MARTIN: How did you become aware that this was wrong? Blake excels at uncovering the questions gnawing at his subjects. . James Bevel, one of the architects of the civil rights movement, a chief lieutenant to Dr. Martin Luther King, was also a child molester. 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. 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. But first, we go behind Closed Doors, that's our weekly segment when we talk about painful issues. He doesn't understand the whole dynamics of what's going on now. And as if it was a conspiracy against him. They were severely penalized for missing work and were trying to support their families. At the turn of the 20th century, southern state legislatures had passed new constitutions and laws that effectively disenfranchised most blacks. 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. And when I left there, I began that process of deciding and designing how I wanted to live my life. She filed for divorce in 2010 and fought to share custody of Athena. Market data provided by Factset. MARTIN: Have you spoken to your father since the trial? Less than a month after his sentencing in October 2008, Bevel was released from prison on appeal. 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. Lela was born in Brownwood, January 17, 1937, the oldest of four daughters of Berl and Lela Naomi (Sansing) Clark. It's back! Will YouTube dim the fire of preachers to the powerful. Well, it still comes as a shock to some people, but the Rev. John Railey writes local editorials for the Journal. 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. Ms. MILLS: Perhaps. 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. 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. He freed his people, focused the world's attention on peace, and used Mohandas Gandhi's tactics to change America . Nashville Student Movement (1960-61) and SNCC, Dispute with President John F. Kennedy and the March on Washington, Alabama Project and the Selma Voting Rights Movement (1965), Chicago Freedom Movement (1965-1966) and the Anti-Vietnam War Movement (1967), 1986 Summit proposal, and teaming up with Moon, and LaRouche (1980s and 1990s), Spring Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Presidency of John F. Kennedy Civil rights, Learn how and when to remove this template message, bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church, Martin Luther King Jr. assassination conspiracy theories, At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 19651968, was not the killer and that he had evidence that Ray was innocent, Franklin child prostitution ring allegations, National African American Leadership Summit, African American founding fathers of the United States, Faithful to my Father's Dream, Enoch Bevel, "Movement Revision Research Summary Regarding James Bevel", Thomas Ricks, NPR interview, October 4, 2022, "Civil Rights Leader Convicted of Incest", "James L. Bevel, 72, an Adviser to Dr. King, Is Dead", "Labor unions were key to march's success", "The Day The Pentagon Was Supposed To Lift Off Into Space", "Civil rights leader convicted of incest", LaRouche Connection Master List 1991-1995, "Allegations Pour In Against Civil Rights Leader Accused Of Incest", "Incest Verdict Is Bittersweet For Daughter Of Minister", "The Rev. No one wants the government in their home. At trial, Bevel denied committing the sexual act and his recorded statement was used against him. Bevel was the brilliant, eccentric visionary who, among other things, helped orchestrate the march from Selma to Montgomery and helped persuade King to voice his opposition to the Vietnam War. 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. [13], Actor and rapper Common portrays Bevel in the 2014 film Selma.[42]. I'm Michel Martin, and this is tell me more from NPR News. This was financially backed by the Unification Church of Sun Myung Moon, which appeared to be trying to improve its controversial image by allying with such respected leaders. 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. The Movement began to stage regular marches to the county courthouse, which had limited hours for blacks to register as voters. She said . I had a son at the time and I just had a daughter, but I just wanted to move on. Accuracy and availability may vary. Its so amazing it doesnt matter if its yours or not. Ms. MILLS: I don't, I don't think he's mentally ill. They divorced after seven years. 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. ", "I don't believe he was a monster. 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). 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. We'll talk about that in just a few minutes. Six weeks later, he died of pancreatic cancer. 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. 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. In 1966, Bevel chose Chicago as the site of SCLC's long-awaited Northern Campaign. Soon after, another three daughters said he had sexually abused them as . Martin Luther King Jr., the head of the SCLC. James Bevel. In 2005, Bevel was accused of incest by one of his daughters and abuse by three others. MARTIN: You confronted your father at one point. He was tried in April 2008, convicted of incest, sentenced to 15 years in prison,[11] and fined $50,000. Sentencing guidelines called for probation only. MARTIN: I mean you were a very young girl when the abuse started. She testified Tuesday that he had sexual intercourse with her when she was 15 in the early 1990s after he pressured her by saying the sex would relieve him from demons that were sapping his strength. [12], In 1960, along with James Lawson's and Myles Horton's students Bernard Lafayette, John Lewis, Diane Nash, C.T. This information, his behavior in now also part of history. Suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer, Bevel was released on bond due to ill health in November, and died at another daughter's home in December. A loud opponent of American involvement in Vietnam, which he viewed as an extension of white oppression of nonwhites, Mr. Bevel was instrumental in Dr. Kings increasingly vocal opposition to the war. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. 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. His contention that convicted assassin James Earl Ray was not guilty of Kings murder embarrassed many in the movement. How did she react? Mr. Bevel had been released from prison in November because he had pancreatic cancer.. And I'd never see my brothers and sisters again. 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. The daughter is one of 16 children Bevel said he has had with several different women. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. 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. [5] He suggested that SCLC call for and join a March on Washington in 1963. Bevel never submitted the collected petitions and left the state the following summer. 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. It doesn't necessarily make sense. During what was later called the Birmingham Children's Crusade, President John F. Kennedy asked King to stop using children in the campaign. And I think, all of us were abused in some way or another. James L. Bevel, an adviser to the Rev. MARTIN: You wrote her a letter telling her what happen. Thank you so much for speaking with us. Charismatic and eloquently quick-witted in a vernacular style, Mr. Bevel was known as a man of passion and peculiarity. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. Sherri talked a little about being the daughter of the iconic Civil Rights leaders. Orrin, 32, is the daughter of Rev. [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. And so, I had moved on and I had felt that my father perhaps - like it was my fault. 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]. James Bevel was one of the key strategists of the civil rights movement. Ms. MILLS: Yeah, that could be some, definitely can. Sherrilynn is also estranged from her brother and from both of her adult children. 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. Enoch Bevel Spring 2010. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. And there is plenty of darkness. 1 and Tennessee was No. 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. 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. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. In May 2007, Bevel was arrested in Alabama on a charge of incest committed sometime between October 1992 and October 1994 in Loudoun County, Virginia. One of the things that I was hoping for and some of my siblings were hoping for when we started this process with my father was that we could start to understand it. He died on December 19, 2008, Springfield, VA. 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. Ms. MILLS: I feel almost as if it's something I had to do. [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. The Associated Press generally does not identify the victims of sexual abuse. This defendant should die in jail.". 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. And when I got the confirmation from other siblings that it happened to them as well it was something I had to do. Orrin, a 40-year-old mother, has spent most of her life trying to reconcile her feelings about her father. Virginia was No. "He confronted Bevel, who had been a mentor to Jackson and Young, as 'a genius who flummoxed his own heart'. 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. He was 72. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. He joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. She said that "his thought process was this worldwide movement was for us.". 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. She. James Luther Bevel (born 1936) was a civil rights activist of the 1960s who aligned himself with Martin Luther King, Jr. James Luther Bevel was born in the farming community of Ittabena, Mississippi, on October 19, 1936. The 15-year sentence imposed by Circuit Judge Burke McCahill was the most severe allowed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Martin Luther King Jr. to tear down the walls of segregation. Legal Statement. Just a man with human frailty perhaps incapable of facing himself in the end.". 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). [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. 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. [28][29], Bevel moved to Omaha, Nebraska, in November 1990 as the leader of the "Citizens Fact-Finding Commission to Investigate Human Rights Violations of Children in Nebraska", a group organized by the Schiller Institute. You have permission to edit this article. He was also the largely absent father, Orrin said, who molested her one night when she was 12. It includes this line: I'm gonna keep on a-walkin', Lord, keep on a-talking, Lord, marching up to freedom land. He and the others were arrested after they arrived in Jackson, Mississippi and tried to desegregate the waiting rooms in the bus terminal. James L. Bevel, a fiery top lieutenant of the Rev. And I never understood that. "At the end of the day, they're still our fathers, our mothers, our uncles and aunts and brothers and sisters," she said. 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. She was not able to deal with it. Court testimony revealed that accusation had stemmed from a family reunion during which several family members recalled having been molested by Mr. Bevel. 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. They could go to jail for this. She is telling us her story of rape and recovery. Though not a lawyer, Mr. Bevel offered to represent Mr. Ray in court. But her father, who one relative said had been sexually abused as a child himself, refused to get help and give them custody of his daughter, she said. In 1962, Bevel was invited to meet in Atlanta with Martin Luther King Jr, a minister who was head of the SCLC. She said he told her, "I got you the right to vote. *James Bevel was born on this date in 1936. [12] He was one of 17 children and grew up in rural LeFlore County of the Mississippi Delta and in Cleveland, Ohio. MARTIN: Your father's name is one that appears in many, many history books. How much you describe it? So, we can assess it based on the truth or the facts in the matter and not just conspiracy as my father had called. MARTIN: How many siblings do you believe were abused by your father? I am equally devastated and disgusted by his pedophilia., James L. Bevel, 72, an Adviser to Dr. King, Is Dead, https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/us/23bevel.html.

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