Last week, Joanna Connors a reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer told us about how 20 years later being raped still made her feel powerless and ashamed. During this period Bevel joined with fellow seminarian John Lewis, Diane Nash from Fisk University, and Vanderbilts James Lawson in the Nashville movement to initiate a local sit-in campaign in early February 1960. 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. He had stints in the Navy and graduated in 1961 from Nashville's American Baptist Theological Seminary. Bevel was a top lieutenant to Martin Luther King Jr. and architect of the 1963 Children's Crusade in Birmingham. It contains an photo offset with an additional photo, coupled with a bio. Kennedy's staff, who already were drafted one, came to an agreement on its contents with SCLC's leadership. 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. LaRouche, characterized as a perennial candidate, was serving a prison sentence for mail fraud and tax evasion. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. And the sand in the glass is right. 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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 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. Bevel also was active in the anti-war movement and greatly influenced King, who Bevel encouraged to confront the Vietnam War more directly. James Bevel was born on the 19th of October, 1936. One week later, city leaders reached an accord with movement leaders. Come on down, stop on by. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. whose influence spurred a pivotal event of the civil rights movement, the "children's crusade" in Birmingham, Ala . The Rev. . Marriage didn't slow down her activism. When Bevel died in December 2008, he had served a few months of a 15-year sentence. Ms. MILLS: I feel almost as if it's something I had to do. And I hid them in her purse or in her shoes and things. How did James Bevel die? You can also ask your. *James Bevel was born on this date in 1936. [7], Prior to his time with SCLC, Bevel worked in the Nashville Student Movement, which conducted the 1960 Nashville Lunch-Counter Sit-Ins, the 1961 Open Theater Movement, and recruited students to continue the 1961 Freedom Rides after they were attacked. He was 58 years old and the first monarch to unite the crowns of Scotland and England. And it's the beginning because we - and our next step is to really continue to work on, part of it is brainstorming of how do you protect children within the home. James Bevel was born on October 19, 1936 in Itta Bena, Mississippi, USA. Answer to: When did James Bevel die? [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. 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. James Bevel was the charismatic Southern Christian Leadership Conference field general who organized and led many of the actions of the Chicago Freedom Movement.Born in Mississippi in 1936, Bevel came to the civil rights movement after training to be a minister at the American Baptist Seminary and a brief stint in the Army.. Bevel first learned of the potential of non-violent direct action in . She was not able to deal with it. Bevel married four times. Omissions? [13] In 1986, Bevel, Chicago alderman Danny K. Davis, singer-songwriter Kristin Lems, and others participated in a project of creating a summit in Chicago for Gorbachev and Reagan to bring peace and resolution to the ongoing Cold War. In 2008 Bevels legacy was tarnished when he was found guilty of having engaged in an incestuous relationship with a teenage daughter in the 1990s. The street lights were turned off by Alabama State Troopers who attacked the protesters. MARTIN: Your father's name is one that appears in many, many history books. The Court of Appeals remanded the case to the trial court to determine whether there was good cause not to abate the conviction. After serving seven months, he was freed awaiting an appeal; he died of pancreatic cancer in December 2008 and was buried in Eutaw, Alabama. [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 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. James Bevel and James Orange spent April 4, 1968 at Clayburn Temple Church organizing young people. We know that James E Bevel had been residing in Anderson, Madison County, Indiana 46012. Actions, most emphatically, did not distinguish King from his equally courageous colleagues, whose words, like his, were congruent with their lives. He passed away on 19 December 2008 from pancreatic cancer. He was a member of the Nashville Student Movement in 1961, and rode the first bus of Freedom Riders into Jackson on May 24. And then things I never understood as parents. In the melee, Jackson was shot in the stomach while defending his mother from an attack. Bevel helped in the brainstorming for the March on Washington in 1963, and the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965. It must have been even more painful to tell. This piece comes framed in a beautifully sculpted black lacquered frame. But what options do they have. 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. What happened James Bevel? He worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Bevel, and was the Director of Direct Action, as well as the Director of Nonviolent Education of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Where was James Luther Bevel born and raised? Prosecutors said the assault occurred in Loudoun County, when Bevel was working closely with the Virginia-based organization led by LaRouche. 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. Ms. MILLS: Is he appealing? Ms. MILLS: Well, I don't understand it. Judge Frank Johnson approved a public march. What is love But prosecutors said his illness should not temper his sentence. 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. Ms. MILLS: I mean we have to look at a lot of aspects of life, in those parallels. Please contact Intellectual Properties Management (IPM), the exclusive licensor of the Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr., Inc. atlicensing@i-p-m.comor 404 526-8968. Below you will read the earliest known testimony to the death of James the Just, brother of Jesus our Lord. Menu. Where it's flat and immense. THE DIGITAL REPOSITORY FOR THE BLACK EXPERIENCE. And the suns from the West. All photos and bio are bevel-cut and double matted under glass. 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. James Luther Bevel (born October 19, 1936 in Itta Bena, Mississippi - died December 19, 2008 in Springfield, Virginia) was a Baptist minister and the Alabama project coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference during the Civil Rights Movement. So, I didn't feel that it was wrong. American comedian and civil rights activist. She would be arrested many times including spending 30 days in jail in South . Ella Baker, a Civil Rights activist and Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) official, invited some of those young Black activists (including Diane Nash, Marion Barry, John Lewis, and James Bevel) to a meeting at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina in . [6] Bevel strategized the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, which contributed to Congressional passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Considered Martin Luther King, Jr 's most influential colleague and . Sentencing guidelines called for probation only. And he usually - he played the role of judge and jury in these meetings. [20] Bevel was influential in gaining King's support for the anti-war movement,[13] and with King's agreeing to participate as a speaker Bevel agreed to lead the antiwar effort. In 1963, Bevel was compelled to join the desegregation struggle being waged by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth in Birmingham, Alabama. Bevel was forced from his position in the SCLC after exhibiting erratic behaviour. 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. Bevel led this effort as the head of SCLCs Direct Action Department. And you describe this - I don't know what words to use, it's almost like a trial at - so you decided you should put him on trial, and then he defended himself in this, I don't even really know how to describe it. Civil Rights Activist. And it's something I had the support of so many people to do, up until 2004. James L. Bevel, an adviser to the Rev. He suggested a march from Selma to . That protest gained worldwide attention and it made its mark by telling the world that equality is for everyone. 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), Last edited on 22 February 2023, at 14:24, 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. Bevel was convicted of unlawful fornication; he was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined $50,000. 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. Although Bevel initially intended to pursue a recording career, he felt called to Christian ministry. 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. . 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 . The Likely Lads, as well as the television . In the 1960s, James Bevel was appointed the leader of the civil rights group known as Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). There are a lot of people who would have run in the other direction, who would have just, look I am gone - I don't - I can't deal with this. James found out he had a gallbladder infection and needed emergency surgery. Things we often feel we have to keep hidden. 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. He doesn't understand the whole dynamics of what's going on now. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. whose influence spurred a pivotal event of the civil rights movement, the childrens crusade in Birmingham, Ala., but whose reputation was later marred by fringe political associations and a criminal conviction this year on incest charges involving a teenage daughter, died Friday in Springfield, Va. Memorialize James's life with photos and stories about him and the Bevel family history and genealogy. You know, he would make that kind of analogy. Bevel left SCLC after Kings death and became involved in the Republican Party and the 1995 Million Man March. He joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He was recently released on bond while appealing a 15-year prison sentence. [15] Diane Nash, the Nashville Student Movement's chairman, urged the group to continue the Freedom Rides, and called for college volunteers from Fisk and other universities across the South. His pressure paid off, and at the May 1964 executive staff meeting King recommended that SCLC increase its presence in Alabama. James Bevel, Self: 4 Little Girls. 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. [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. Will YouTube dim the fire of preachers to the powerful. [13] They were under an injunction by the state, so stayed within the city limits. Freedom's Ring: King's "I Have a Dream" Speech, King holds press conference on opening day of Youth Leadership Conference at Shaw University, King addresses Youth Leadership Conference in Raleigh. The four-day trial divided members of Bevel's large family, with relatives testifying for both the prosecutor and defense. Crowned James VI of Scotland as a baby when his mother Mary Queen of Scots was forced to abdicate, he later also became James I of England in 1603 on the death his first cousin twice removed, Elizabeth I. Mr. Bevel had been released from prison in November because he had pancreatic cancer. He was recently released on bond while appealing a 15-year prison sentence. I am equally as devastated and disgusted by his pedophilia," Orrin said. MARTIN: How many siblings do you believe were abused by your father? Bevel was born in 1936 in Itta Bena, Mississippi, the son of Illie and Dennis Bevel. All rights reserved (About Us). James L. Bevel, a prominent figure in the civil rights movement whose legacy was clouded by an incest conviction has died, a relative said. Brother of Jesus Christ. After a stint in the services, Bevel was called to the ministry and enrolled in the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee. Where the caravan camels roam. [13] King was initially reluctant, but agreed. So, we can assess it based on the truth or the facts in the matter and not just conspiracy as my father had called. 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. People Photos Purpose. Updated: October 8, 2011 . 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. 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. Ms. MILLS: There are eight girls. Shortly after, Vespasian besieged Judea, taking them captive.". Diane Nash is an acclaimed American civil rights activist. 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. And so, I had moved on and I had felt that my father perhaps - like it was my fault. He entered the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville in 1957; he graduated and was ordained in 1961. MARTIN: What made you realized that it was wrong? Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305. James Bevel discusses his family's ethnic origins, James Bevel shares his family's philosophy on ancestry and ethnicity, James Bevel talks about his parents' backgrounds, James Bevel explains his father's influence and enlightenment, James Bevel discusses black land ownership, James Bevel remembers his childhood community of Itta Bena, Mississippi, James Bevel remembers the social climate of his childhood community, James Bevel describes his father's notoriety in Itta Bena, Mississippi, James Bevel talks about childhood activities and his siblings, James Bevel discusses his father's involvement with Mississippi Valley State University, James Bevel explains his move to Cleveland, Ohio, James Bevel talks about attending school in Cleveland, Ohio, James Bevel recalls entering the U.S. Navy and experiences there, James Bevel talks about his reasons for leaving the U.S. Navy, James Bevel talks about voluntarily leaving the U.S. Navy, James Bevel discusses being called into the ministry, James Bevel recalls lessons learned at the American Baptist Theological Seminary, Nashville, Tennessee, James Bevel explains his evangelical belief system, James Bevel reflects on the open theater movement, James Bevel discusses the organization and planning of the Civil Rights Movement in Nashville, Tennessee, James Bevel talks about his strategies for activism, James Bevel discusses strategies for sit-ins in Nashville, Tennessee, James Bevel recalls the outcome of civil rights activism in Nashville, Tennessee, James Bevel comments on the reactions of university faculty to civil rights activism in Nashville, Tennessee, James Bevel talks about the major players and disciplines of the Nashville Civil Rights Movement, James Bevel reflects on the personality and influence of Ella Baker, James Bevel talks about SNCC's early actions, James Bevel explains his and SNCC's positive reaction to President John F. Kennedy, James Bevel explains strategies for voter registration in Nashville and the outcome of the effort, James Bevel remembers his involvement with the Freedom Rides, James Bevel explains how serving jail time helped the cause of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi, James Bevel discusses plans for ending segregation in Jackson, Mississippi, James Bevel discusses his involvement in civil rights activism in Mississippi, James Bevel explains the reasoning for launching COFO in Mississippi, James Bevel talks about the goals of COFO, James Bevel remembers incidents surrounding the Medgar Evers murder, James Bevel details the Birmingham, Alabama Civil Rights Movement, James Bevel talks about bringing the Civil Rights Movement into the national political arena, James Bevel explains his focus as a nonviolent activist, Occupation(s): 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. Updates? She could not share it. A young man, he died a few days later. "We know that the defendant is dying," said Prosecutor Gigi Lawless. James Luther Bevel (October 19, 1936 December 19, 2008) was a minister and leader of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement in the United States. This button displays the currently selected search type. The U.S. Department of Justice had to step in and help end the protest on May 10. After high school he served in the U.S. Navy for a time and pursued a career as a singer. James Bevel, 1936-2008. James Bevel died on December 19, 2008 in . 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. As a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and then as its Director of Direct Action and Nonviolent Education, Bevel initiated, strategized, and developed SCLC's three major successes of the era: the 1963 Birmingham Children's . Bevel feared that activists who were not committed to nonviolence were conductingdemonstration[s] for the sake of demonstrating,and that these tactics resulted inrioting and deaths.He advised,In order to off-set these trends, the non-violent must project and execute a program that will [allow] more Negroes to become convinced of the effectiveness of non-violence and the principles of it.Bevel further implored King to putthe whole non-violent staffon the Alabama project (Bevel, 13 April 1964). He received an appeal bond on November 4, 2008, and was released from jail three days later, after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. We have great country we live in that had slavery. James Forman (October 4, 1928 - January 10, 2005) was a prominent African-American leader in the civil rights movement.He was active in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Black Panther Party, and the League of Revolutionary Black Workers.As the executive secretary of SNCC from 1961 to 1966, Forman played a significant role in the Freedom Rides, the Albany movement, the . MARTIN: If you are just joining us, I'm speaking with Aaralyn Mills. 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 this was the meeting in which we called other members of the community, Bernard Layfette and Will Sanders and as well as relatives. 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. And yes, she dismissed it in that regard. 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. [17] Activists encountered severe violence at that time and retreated to regroup. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. P: (650) 723-2092 | F: (650) 723-2093 | kinginstitute@stanford.edu| Campus Map. Bevel also worked behind the scenes on the Chicago open housing movement in 1966; the anti-Vietnam War movement in 1967; the Memphis sanitation workers strike; and the Poor People's Campaign in 1968. She wrote a remarkable series of articles that told his story as well as her own. Nash married civil rights activist James Bevel in 1961 and moved to Jackson, Mississippi where she began organizing voter registration and school desegregation campaigns for the SCLC. 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]. Anyone can read what you share. These quality collectors pieces are designed for visual appeal. His brother - and we were all present, either on the phone or live. Where the caravan camels roam. Primarily known for his role as tough guy Sonny . Where did James Bevel die? [38], Bevel's attorney requested that the Court of Appeals of Virginia abate the conviction on account of Bevel's death. After the scare, James says it took a month of "intensive therapy" before he could get back on stage. Ms. MILLS: Right. Bevel was a top lieutenant to Martin Luther King Jr. The chain of events and police violence that was captured on national television ultimately culminated in the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. [5] He suggested that SCLC call for and join a March on Washington in 1963. On February 16, 1965, Jimmie Lee Jackson, his mother, and grandfather took part in a nighttime march led by C. T. Vivian to protest the related jailing of activist James Orange in Marion, Alabama. After leaving the SCLC the year prior, Bevel created the Making of the Man Clinic in 1970. By the time they entered Montgomery 54 miles away, the marchers were thousands strong. 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. Bevel proposed organizing the Alabama Voting Rights Project, and co-wrote the project proposal with his wife Diane Nash. 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. Bevel was in the parking lot of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis and witnessed King's assassination on April 4, 1968. [40], In 1961, Bevel married activist Diane Nash after he completed his seminary studies. Find out about civil rights leader James Bevel: Age, What he did before fame, his family life Fun facts: before fame, family life, popularity rankings, and more Translate 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. So, it was my way of communicating to her. He's been violent, mean and abusive, but he's always been honest.". After serving seven months he was freed awaiting an appeal; he died of pancreatic cancer in December 2008. [36], On April 10, 2008, after a three-hour deliberation, the jury convicted Bevel of incest. 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. 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. The Rev. In September 1963, a bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham killed four young girls attending Sunday School and damaged the church. 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 that time, prosecutors revealed at least four other daughters had made similar allegations against him. 2001 at 73 years of age. And you can listen to it for, you know, over and over again and it won't make sense. "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." Ms. MILLS: Right, because I always wrote letters. In subsequent years Bevel continued his political activism. This piece comes framed in a beautifully sculpted black lacquered frame. 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. James was 72 years old at the time of death. 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..