"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. By the time they entered Montgomery 54 miles away, the marchers were thousands strong. We have great country we live in that had slavery. A fight broke out between LaRouche supporters and black nationalists.[34]. I wanted to ask why you decided that now was the time to tell it. Bevel died Friday in Virginia. "I do love my father," she wrote me in a follow-up e-mail. Legal Statement. A young man, he died a few days later. Eventually, her former husband agreed. But he was also a child predator, who exploited the trust of his family by molesting his daughter Aaralyn Mills. Instead, she told the jury to focus on the single incident for which Bevel is charged: an act of sexual intercourse that occurred in 1993 or 1994 while the daughter was a teenager and was living with her father in Leesburg. He was recently released on bond while appealing a . He initiated the 1967 March on the United Nations as part of the anti-war movement. 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. During his trial, testimony indicated that Bevel considered it parents' duty to "sexually orient" their children. James Bevel was one of the key strategists of the civil rights movement. Ms. MILLS: I don't, I don't think he's mentally ill. It has been more than a year since I sat with my older brother at my father's side, watching him slowly succumb to pancreatic cancer. The daughter is one of 16 children Bevel said he has had with several different women. Naval Reserve in 1954 and 1955 before entering the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee. And then, so what are the options for children? As I looked at him, I thought about the father he was to me, the . 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. On December 19, 2008, at the age of 72, he died of pancreatic cancer in Springfield, Virginia. 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. After high school he served in the U.S. Navy for a time and pursued a career as a singer. "I am equally devastated and disgusted by his pedophilia.". Another daughter, Sherilynn Bevel, confirmed the death, The Washington Post reported. Do you see it that way? She said he told her, "I got you the right to vote. "My hope was for him to apologize in a Christian way, to repent. Ready to start "the second half of my life," after. Her father, the Rev. Hamer was incensed by efforts to deny Blacks the right to vote. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. She said that "his thought process was this worldwide movement was for us.". Well, it still comes as a shock to some people, but the Rev. And I was always buffering between my father, I never let her be alone with him. The street lights were turned off by Alabama State Troopers who attacked the protesters. 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. He was convicted earlier this year of having sex 15 years ago with his then-teenage daughter in Virginia. 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. While in the Jackson jail, Bevel and Bernard Lafayette initiated the Mississippi Voting Rights Movement. He appeared headed for a career as a pop music singer he had signed a contract with a record label when he felt called to the ministry and enrolled in the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, where he joined the local chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The daughter is one of 16 children Bevel said he has had with several different women. [36], On April 10, 2008, after a three-hour deliberation, the jury convicted Bevel of incest. James Bevel was one of seventeen children born to a sharecropping family in Itta Bena, Mississippi. A deathbed interview with Rev. And I'd never see my brothers and sisters again. [13] Six weeks later he died of cancer, at the age of 72, in Springfield, Virginia. "Saying 'I'm sorry' is a game we play. And unfortunately not all of us are able to see the abuse even things that are obvious. Housing in the area was segregated in a de facto way, enforced by covenants and real estate practices. But what options do they have. In late 1963 Bevel, Nash, and Orange also worked with local grassroots organizations to educate blacks and support them in trying to gain registration as voters, but made little progress. [24], In the 1980s, Bevel supported Ronald Reagan as president. Mr. Bevel had been released from prison in November because he had pancreatic cancer. IE 11 is not supported. 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. I have to say, I think that it is powerfully courageous thing to do. Enoch Bevel Spring 2010. And that was the pretty much the catalyst for my understanding that maybe it's not just me that's feels uncomfortable, maybe this is wrong. Six weeks later, he died of pancreatic cancer. He was tried in April 2008, convicted of incest, sentenced to 15 years in prison, [11] and fined $50,000. [6] Bevel strategized the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, which contributed to Congressional passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. 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. He was recently released on bond while appealing a. 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. 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. Kennedy's staff, who already were drafted one, came to an agreement on its contents with SCLC's leadership. [17] Activists encountered severe violence at that time and retreated to regroup. 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. Ms. MILLS: The hardest part was learning of everyone's story. James L. Bevel, 71, an 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 . 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. It must have been even more painful to tell. 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. During what was later called the Birmingham Children's Crusade, President John F. Kennedy asked King to stop using children in the campaign. 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] 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. One way he brought attention to the brutality of Jim Crow was to bring children . 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. 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. James Bevel, one of the architects of the civil rights movement, a chief lieutenant to Dr. Martin Luther King, was also a child molester. And we really wanted our father based on who he is and his own understanding to take that step to look at himself, to begin to if not challenge other men first by challenging himself. [30] The commission was associated with conspiracy theorist Lyndon LaRouche, and sought to persuade the state legislature to reopen its two-year investigation into the Franklin child prostitution ring allegations. Bevel said that he had no interest in getting her pregnant. They, Nash, and others stayed in Mississippi to work on grassroots organizing. But this was the meeting in which we called other members of the community, Bernard Layfette and Will Sanders and as well as relatives. A bubbly toddler might not seem to have much in common with the daughter of a convicted child molester, but Liese sees only the similarities as Athena slips on the kitchen floor and bounces back, still laughing. [32] He engaged in LaRouche seminars on issues including "Is the Anti Defamation League the new KKK? Martin Luther King Jr. to tear down the walls of segregation. MARTIN: Aaralyn Mills tells her powerful story of rape and recovery in the pages of the Washington Post Magazine. 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. Do you have any idea where you were able to find that within yourself to do this? He was one of seventeen children. Who's watching their backs? 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. Ms. MILLS: There are eight girls. James L. Bevel dies at 72; civil rights activist and top lieutenant to King", "Bevel v. Commonwealth (Va.Ct.App., 14 Sept. 2010)", "Bevel v. Commonwealth (Va.S.Ct., 4 Nov. 2011)", "Years After Change, Activist Lives Her Conviction", "Common Is James Bevel, Andre Holland Is Andrew Young In Ava DuVernay's Mlk Tale 'Selma', (see request for download at bottom of page). MARTIN: Sounds like you would have made a hell of an organizer? She filed for divorce in 2010 and fought to share custody of Athena. 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. And I never understood that. He was also the largely absent father, Orrin said, who molested her one night when she was 12. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). In 1992, he was vice presidential running mate to political maverick Lyndon LaRouche, who has a home in Loudoun County but at the time was in a federal prison for a tax conviction. Less than a month after his sentencing in October 2008, Bevel was released from prison on appeal. (Rebecca Drobis/COPYRIGHT REBECCA DROBIS 2008). The Court of Appeals affirmed this judgment. Sherrilynn is also estranged from her brother and from both of her adult children. I don't want to live that anymore. Did you always sense that it was wrong? Bevel then called off plans for the children's march. In March 1965, Mr. Bevel, a fiery orator, spoke at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma, Ala., the starting point of a symbolic march to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where demonstrators had been beaten two days earlier a day remembered as Bloody Sunday in a first attempt to march to Montgomery to protest discriminatory voting practices. This defendant should die in jail.". Though initially reluctant, Dr. King finally agreed. She shares her story, reflections about her father, and her experience as an abuse survivor. Bevel was convicted of incest in April 2008. But he was also a child predator, who exploited the trust of his family by molesting his daughter Aaralyn Mills. 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. [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. 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. 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. In this same period, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) had organized the 1961 Freedom Rides through the Deep South to challenge southern state laws and practices that interstate buses and their facilities remain segregated despite federal laws for equal treatment. And it's something I had the support of so many people to do, up until 2004. MARTIN: What made you realized that it was wrong? And she was telling things that I experienced and that connected to me. "There is something that reeks of moral depravity when an individual, whose sworn responsibility is to protect and serve and is fired for what. She was not able to deal with it. You know, he would make that kind of analogy. He is awaiting sentence now. Martin Luther King Jr. and a force behind civil rights campaigns of the 1960s whose erratic behavior and conviction on incest charges. The Rev. Bevel spent weeks developing strategy, recruiting and educating students in the philosophy and techniques of nonviolence. MARTIN: We were corresponding about your coming on the program because I had to be honest, I was hesitant to contact you because I was worried that you would see it as an intrusion or as a burden to talk about something so painful, again. His brother - and we were all present, either on the phone or live. [13] They were under an injunction by the state, so stayed within the city limits. Anyone can read what you share. You know, it was just me. How do we look at this country with these two dynamics? Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. So, I didn't feel that it was wrong. Orrin said he made no denials. One of his daughters, Aaralyn Mills, accused Bevel of molesting her as a child and having sex with her once in the 1990s, when she was a teenager. "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. He entered the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville in 1957; he graduated and was ordained in 1961. She and several of her siblings compiled affidavits detailing sexual abuse and confronted their father. Mr. Bevel had been released from prison in November because he had pancreatic cancer.. Thank you so much for speaking with us. 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. Prosecutor Nicole Wittmann also warned the jury against getting confused by Bevel's sometimes convoluted explanations of his philosophies and his justifications for his actions. MARTIN: Your father's name is one that appears in many, many history books. Bevel died Friday in Virginia after a fight with pancreatic cancer, said a daughter, Chevara Orrin, who lives in Winston-Salem, N.C. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 'You dont like to work on anything that isnt your own idea,' King said, 'Bevel, I think you owe me one.'"[22]. [14], The Open Theater Movement, led by Bevel, had success in Nashville, the only city in the country where SCLC activists had organized such an action. 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. Bevel would not reveal the evidence, and Ray was convicted of the crime. Bevel had 16 children with nine women. At the time, he was living and working in Leesburg, Virginia, near LaRouche's headquarters. In subsequent years Bevel continued his political activism. 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. This kind of pseudo-philosophical - I'm not even sure - how do would you describe it? Thank you so much for speaking with us. 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. 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. He was tried in April 2008, convicted of incest, sentenced to 15 years in prison,[11] and fined $50,000. 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. [31], In 1992, Bevel ran on LaRouche's ticket as the vice presidential candidate. In 1966, Bevel chose Chicago as the site of SCLC's long-awaited Northern Campaign. 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. 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. Ms. MILLS: Perhaps. 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. 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. 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. So, we can assess it based on the truth or the facts in the matter and not just conspiracy as my father had called. He had 2 children Sherri Bevel, Douglass Bevel. "At the end of the day, they're still our fathers, our mothers, our uncles and aunts and brothers and sisters," she said. 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. 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. He decides what's right and not right. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. James L. Bevel, The Freedom Rides, This page was last edited on 26 March 2023, at 04:18. In an opinion issued November 4, 2011, the commonwealth's Supreme Court held that abatement of criminal convictions was not available in Virginia under the circumstances of Bevel's case. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. In 2007, one of his daughters accused him of molesting her in the 90s. This movement ended within a Summit Conference that included Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley. But prosecutors said his illness should not temper his sentence. 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.. 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. 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. Ms. MILLS: I feel almost as if it's something I had to do. Bevel was forced from his position in the SCLC after exhibiting erratic behaviour. 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. Orrin, 32, is the daughter of Rev. James Bevel.

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