Guide Note: Reverend James Bevel was a major figure in the 1960's American Civil Rights Movement, having been influential in the Chicago Freedom Movement, the Nashville Sit-In Movement, the Freedom Riders and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLA), for which he served as Director of Direct Action and Nonviolent Education.

Working closely with Martin Luther King Jr., then-wife Diane Nash, James Orange and others, Bevel was instrumental in organizing the Selma Right-To-Vote Movement as well as a number of key marches and protests. After leaving the SCLA in 1969, he continued to work on civil rights issues, including planning for the 1995 Million Man March on Washington. Incest trial In May of 2007, Bevel was arrested after one of his daughters accused him of having an incestuous relationship with her in the early '90s, when the girl was between 13-15 years old. Some of Bevel's other daughters have confirmed the allegations, though he has denied the charges. The case has been brought against Bevel in Virginia, though the relationship allegedly took place in numerous states, because Virginia has no statute of limitations on crimes concerning incest.

On April 10, 2008, Bevel was convicted of incest. He is facing up to 20 years in prison upon sentencing. Fast Facts:

1. Born October 19, 1936 in Itta Bena, Mississippi
2. Ran as Lyndon LaRouche's Vice Presidential candidate in 1992

Categories