James Bevel

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia James Luther Bevel October 19 1936 December 19 2008 was an American minister and leader of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement in the United States 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 SCLCs three major successes of the era the 1963 Birmingham Childrens Crusade the 1965 Selma voting rights movement and the 1966 Chicago open housing movement He suggested that SCLC call for and join a March on Washington in 1963 Bevel strategized the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches which contributed to Congressional passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act Prior to his time with SCLC Bevel worked in the Nashville Student Movement which conducted the 1960 Nashville LunchCounter SitIns the 1961 Open Theater Movement and recruited students to continue the 1961 Freedom Rides after they were attacked He helped with initiating and directing the 1961 and 1962 voting rights movement in Mississippi In 1967 Bevel was chairman of the Spring Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam He initiated the 1967 March on the United Nations as part of the antiwar movement His last major action was as coinitiator of the 1995 Day of AtonementMillion Man March in Washington DC For his work Bevel has been called the strategist and architect of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement and with Dr King half of the firsttier team that formulated many of the strategies and actions to gain federal legislation and social changes during the 1960s civil rights era In 2005 Bevel was accused of incest by one of his daughters and abuse by three others He was tried in April 2008 convicted of incest sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 50000 After serving seven months he was freed awaiting an appeal he died of pancreatic cancer in December 2008 and was buried in Eutaw Alabama