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. James L. Bevel, The Freedom Rides, This page was last edited on 26 March 2023, at 04:18. A young man, he died a few days later. They also revealed that at least four other daughters Bevel had with various women have made similar allegations against him. But he was also a child predator, who exploited the trust of his family by molesting his daughter Aaralyn Mills. They agreed to work until they had ended segregation, obtained voting rights, and ensured that all American children had a quality education. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. The two agreed to work together to end segregation, obtain voting rights, and to ensure quality education for ALL children in America. How much you describe it? 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. (Rebecca Drobis/COPYRIGHT REBECCA DROBIS 2008). 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. But he was also a child predator, who exploited the trust of his family by molesting his daughter Aaralyn Mills. He received an appeal bond on November 4, 2008, and was released from jail three days later, after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. He was recently released on bond while appealing a . Its that lovely thing A society grows great when old men , Justice Clarence Thomas' example shows need for better standards. I wanted to ask why you decided that now was the time to tell it. 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. [18] Bevel and Nash did not attend, and instead watched Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech on television. "[33] When Bevel introduced LaRouche at a convention of the 1996 National African American Leadership Summit, both men were booed off the stage. 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. James Bevel was one of seventeen children born to a sharecropping family in Itta Bena, Mississippi. In 1967, Bevel was chairman of the Spring Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam. Later efforts in Mississippi developed as Freedom Summer in 1964, when extensive voter education and registration efforts took place. 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. This rally was attended by tens of thousands of peace activists who followed the growing counterculture movement. In subsequent years Bevel continued his political activism. Accuracy and availability may vary. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. We are not just, you know, one way all the time. She is the daughter of James Bevel who was recently convicted of molesting her when she was a child. And when I left there, I began that process of deciding and designing how I wanted to live my life. The Rev. 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. I think the community has not yet figured out what's the proper response to deal with pedophilia," said Orrin, who runs the WhiteSpace Gallery with her husband and is an administrator at Winston-Salem State University. She recently finished a book, Becoming Aaralyn, and is looking for a publisher, a search she thinks will lead to Europe. 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. To fight those feelings, she decided to track down her attacker. Eventually, her former husband agreed. He died on December 19, 2008, Springfield, VA. [17] Activists encountered severe violence at that time and retreated to regroup. It includes this line: I'm gonna keep on a-walkin', Lord, keep on a-talking, Lord, marching up to freedom land. Kennedy's staff, who already were drafted one, came to an agreement on its contents with SCLC's leadership. One way he brought attention to the brutality of Jim Crow was to bring children . So, I didn't feel that it was wrong. 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. You have permission to edit this article. [25], In 1989, Bevel and Abernathy organized the National Committee Against Religious Bigotry and Racism. "I'm very proud to be the daughter of a man who contributed so much to the world through his civil-rights work," she told The Associated Press on Dec. 19, the day her father died at the age of 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. James Bevel (1936-2008) James Bevel was one of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s most trusted advisors during the American Civil Rights campaigns of the mid-20th century. The accuser, one of his daughters, was 13-15 years old and lived with him in the Leesburg apartment. She filed for divorce in 2010 and fought to share custody of Athena. He's been violent, mean and abusive, but he's always been honest.". "My hope was for him to apologize in a Christian way, to repent. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Bevel, 72, died Friday in Virginia after a fight with pancreatic cancer, said a daughter, Chevara Orrin, who lives in Winston-Salem, N.C. And I realized that, one, that it wasn't just you know, one way to live. He is a celebrity civil rights leader. The daughter is one of 16 children Bevel said he has had with several different women. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Updates? Martin Luther King Jr. and a legendary leader of the student sit-in and Freedom Ride movements. 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). Orrin said he made no denials. James Bevel was one of the key strategists of the civil rights movement. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. 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. At the turn of the 20th century, southern state legislatures had passed new constitutions and laws that effectively disenfranchised most blacks. A top lieutenant to Martin Luther King Jr. has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for incest. Ms. AARALYN MILLS (Abuse Victim): Thank you for having me. [12], In 1960, along with James Lawson's and Myles Horton's students Bernard Lafayette, John Lewis, Diane Nash, C.T. In 2007, one of his daughters accused him of molesting her in the 90s. Liese also shares custody of an 11-year-old son with her first husband, with whom the boy lives. Ms. MILLS: And it's an hour and a half of him explaining his position. American civil rights leader and politician, American comedian and civil rights activist. In case of Aaralyn Mills, it was all three. Ms. MILLS: Her - the exact statement was that I spelled molest wrong. James L. Bevel, a fiery top lieutenant of the Rev. 1 and Tennessee was No. Ms. MILLS: Perhaps. John Railey writes local editorials for the Journal. Sherri talked a little about being the daughter of the iconic Civil Rights leaders. The Court of Appeals remanded the case to the trial court to determine whether there was good cause not to abate the conviction. Legal Statement. [39] Bevel's attorney appealed the denial of the abatement motion to the Supreme Court of Virginia. IE 11 is not supported. And my grandmother was also there, and I didn't want my grandmother to know. James L. Bevel, 71, a top . He was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Who can they turn to? And I never understood that. After serving seven months, he was freed awaiting an appeal; he died of pancreatic cancer in December 2008 and was buried in Eutaw, Alabama. Ms. MILLS: Right, because I always wrote letters. During his childhood years, he resided in both Itta Bena and in Cleveland, Ohio working as a plantation laborer in the . He is awaiting sentence now. I think he's more like a spoiled child in which he has been doing and being the way he is for so long that he gets away with it. James Bevel, one of the architects of the civil rights movement, a chief lieutenant to Dr. Martin Luther King, was also a child molester. I wrote her I love you letters, and you know, this was my day letters. Thank you so much for speaking with us. The Rev. [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. [23] Bevel continued to oppose the Poor People's Campaign, but served as its Director of Nonviolent Education. James Bevel, a key aide to Rev. Hoffman said there were questions about the timeline the daughter said she could not recall exactly what year the act occurred, and her recollection of when she lived in Virginia did not fully mesh with school records and other testimony. The news coverage, which featured children being water-hosed by police and more than 600 youth being arrested, prompted a groundswell of support for the civil rights movement. [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. 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. She said that "his thought process was this worldwide movement was for us.". Copyright 2008 NPR. 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. I don't want to live that anymore. LaRouche, characterized as a perennial candidate, was serving a prison sentence for mail fraud and tax evasion. Some protesters were jailed, but the movement kept the pressure on. But, you know, I was sad because I knew that he wouldn't be a grandfather. MARTIN: So in his world, he decides what true and not true. Bevel spent weeks developing strategy, recruiting and educating students in the philosophy and techniques of nonviolence. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. And she always told me, no he doesn't do that to me, I have a wonderful relationship with my dad. The accuser was one of his daughters, who was 1315 years old at the time and lived with him. She married James Henry Bevel in Corpus Christi on January 27, 1956. In the 1960s, Bevel was a leader in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the Student. Ms. MILLS: I don't, I don't think he's mentally ill. He said his family mistakenly perceived his refusal to deny the specific allegations against him as an admission of guilt. 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. I have to say, I think that it is powerfully courageous thing to do. Ms. MILLS: I feel almost as if it's something I had to do. Did you always know that it was wrong? Family members who confronted Bevel in 2004 during a family meeting testified that Bevel read a written accusation by his daughter and replied that he did not contest the facts as laid out by his daughter. I secured political freedoms for you." During the trial, Bevel's daughter testified that she was repeatedly molested by Bevel beginning when she was just 6 years old, culminating in sexual intercourse in 1993 or 1994 that formed the basis of the incest charge. Public defender Bonnie Hoffman urged the jury to ignore evidence that Bevel led an unconventional, communal lifestyle in which he taught that it was parents' duty to "sexually orient" their children. 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. He and the others were arrested after they arrived in Jackson, Mississippi and tried to desegregate the waiting rooms in the bus terminal. And I hid them in her purse or in her shoes and things. By the time they entered Montgomery 54 miles away, the marchers were thousands strong. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. I don't want to relive any of that. How did she react? He was 72. And there is plenty of darkness. He was free on bond, appealing the conviction, when pancreatic cancer killed him. James L. Bevel, 71, a top lieutenant to Martin Luther King Jr. who is also credited with helping to conceive and organize the Million Man March, faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced.
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