how did james bevel die
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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. For this purpose the blade is made to move in a long groove, made in the stock or handle, and fixed to it by a nut and screw, so that it will alter to suit any degree of obliquity required; and thus it . On December 19, 2008, at the age of 72, he died of pancreatic cancer in Springfield, Virginia. [13] King was initially reluctant, but agreed. And my grandmother was also there, and I didn't want my grandmother to know. When the winds from the East. They were severely penalized for missing work and were trying to support their families. That didn't happen. The Rev. A minister and civil right activist who was the Director of Direct Action and the Director of Nonviolent Education of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference during the 1960's. James Bevel was born in MS. Updates? [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. He helped with initiating and directing the 1961 and 1962 voting rights movement in Mississippi. . [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 1993, two 10-year-old boys tortured and murdered the toddler after leading him away from a . Things we often feel we have to keep hidden. Answer to: How did James Bevel die? 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. 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. Three months after the March on Washington, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson ascended to the Oval Office. That really made me feel not just powerless but that, what can you do? And I always thought that was odd and that people would do something that's not going to be forgotten. Judge Frank Johnson approved a public march. 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. He was educated at segregated local schools in both Mississippi and Cleveland. 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. How did James Bevel contribute to the Civil Rights Movement? Yet when he died, disgraced after a conviction for incest in 2008 (the incident occurred in 1993, and Bevel said he was innocent), he was almost as unknown as he was in the 1960s. [24], In the 1980s, Bevel supported Ronald Reagan as president. From the Helen L. Bevel Archives, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Bevel&oldid=1140934352, Statements by Rev. 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. P: (650) 723-2092 | F: (650) 723-2093 | kinginstitute@stanford.edu| Campus Map. This information, his behavior in now also part of history. MARTIN: How many siblings do you believe were abused by your father? And I think, all of us were abused in some way or another. And I think the hardest part is not choosing a side to work toward and sticking to it. [41] He married two other women in the following decades, and had told the court during his incest case that he had 16 children born of seven women. He was 72. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. They would have two children. The four-day trial divided members of Bevel's large family, with relatives testifying for both the prosecutor and defense. And you can listen to it for, you know, over and over again and it won't make sense. In the decades after King's death, Bevel aligned himself with fringe movements. Arguably, if James Bevel had died in 1968 instead of Dr. King then the national holiday which honors the movement would fall on October 19th instead of January 15th, a statement which comes not from bias towards Bevel but from a study of the facts of the Civil Rights Movements timeline, decision-making structure, and its growing importance in . 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. 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. It was under his leadership that the organization undertook most of their iconic campaigns including the Birmingham Children's Crusade in 1963, Selma voting rights movement in 1965, and the Chicago open housing . As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. James L. Bevel, a prominent figure in the civil rights movement whose legacy was clouded by an incest conviction has died, a relative said. Aaralyn Mills, good luck to you. They moved to Alabama to implement the project along with Birmingham student activist James Orange. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. In 1962 Bevel left SNCC to become Mississippi field secretary for SCLC. Bevel then called off plans for the children's march. The Rev. [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. These quality collectors pieces are designed for visual appeal. "He confronted Bevel, who had been a mentor to Jackson and Young, as 'a genius who flummoxed his own heart'. Doctors estimate he has only six weeks to six months to live. I wrote her I love you letters, and you know, this was my day letters. But this was the meeting in which we called other members of the community, Bernard Layfette and Will Sanders and as well as relatives. James Bevel was one of the key strategists of the civil rights movement. 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. Ms. MILLS: The hardest part was learning of everyone's story. 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. 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. Brother of Jesus Christ. 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. Bevel said that he had no interest in getting her pregnant. James Bevel. LaRouche, characterized as a perennial candidate, was serving a prison sentence for mail fraud and tax evasion. A top lieutenant to Martin Luther King Jr. has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for incest. You know, so it was just - it was like, why? Where the caravan camels roam. He had stints in the Navy and graduated in 1961 from Nashville's American Baptist Theological Seminary. At the sentencing hearing, the victims said they were hoping that Bevel would apologize for his actions and seek forgiveness and reconciliation. At the time, he was living and working in Leesburg, Virginia, near LaRouche's headquarters. These quality collectors pieces are designed for visual appeal. 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. But first, we go behind Closed Doors, that's our weekly segment when we talk about painful issues. His pressure paid off, and at the May 1964 executive staff meeting King recommended that SCLC increase its presence in Alabama. . Bevel also was active in the anti-war movement and greatly influenced King, who Bevel encouraged to confront the Vietnam War more directly. [23] Bevel continued to oppose the Poor People's Campaign, but served as its Director of Nonviolent Education. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 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. MARTIN: If you are just joining us, I'm speaking with Aaralyn Mills. Oh I come from a land, from a faraway place. 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. Ms. MILLS: Yeah, that could be some, definitely can. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. [32] He engaged in LaRouche seminars on issues including "Is the Anti Defamation League the new KKK? We know that James D Bevel had been residing in La Pine, Deschutes County, Oregon 97739. He went on to plan some of the movement's major . The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. [18] Bevel and Nash did not attend, and instead watched Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech on television. Bevel also served as pastor and adviser to Chicago's Council of Mothers; the West Side Baptist Minister's Conference; WorkShip Coalition; and the Nation of Islam. He was 72. The Institute cannot give permission to use or reproduce any of the writings, statements, or images of Martin Luther King, Jr. We have great country we live in that had slavery. We are not just, you know, one way all the time. 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. He fathered 16 children with nine women, Orrin told The Associated Press. "I had really bad . MARTIN: What made you realized that it was wrong? But in April, a jury convicted Bevel of incest for having sex more than a decade ago with a then-teenage daughter. Susan Jameson, a highly important and quite distinct person, is happily married to James Bolam. But when I was there, I actually saw it. Credited by Martin Luther King with initiating the Childrens Crusade during the Birmingham Campaign of 1963, James Bevel emerged as a civil rights leader from the ranks of the Nashville, Tennessee, student movement. In 1960, Bevel and other black students trained by Lawson, including John Lewis, Dianne Nash, Marion Barry, and Bernard Lafayette, organized sit-ins against segregated lunch counters. And I am wondering how it is that you and your siblings, you particularly, were able to do it. He was 72. 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. It must have been even more painful to tell. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. And unfortunately not all of us are able to see the abuse even things that are obvious. After leaving the SCLC the year prior, Bevel created the Making of the Man Clinic in 1970. He was 72. 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. They buried him on the spot by the temple and his gravestone is still there by the temple (in c. 160). Sentencing guidelines called for probation only. There is no indication that he followed Jesus at all during Jesus' earthly lifetime. Civil rights activist Reverend James Luther Bevel was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, on October 19, 1936. Ms. MILLS: Well, it was in part my own experience when I left home at 16, and I went to stay with the Bruderhof, which is a Christian community similar to the Amish in Pennsylvania. Primarily known for his role as tough guy Sonny . 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. 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. And the heat is intense. "Both of those feelings reside in the same soul, in the same space of my heart.". 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. James L. Bevel, an adviser to the Rev. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current . Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. When King was jailed, Bevel organized black children and marched against Commissioner Bull Connor's fire hoses and police dogs. 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. [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 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. They divorced after seven years. Who's watching their backs? "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. "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."