tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799660367320178164.post6650717029579596224..comments2023-11-05T03:34:05.463-08:00Comments on The Vegan Street Blog from the Vegan Feminist Agitator: Reverend James Bevel...Marlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17051769657129028820noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799660367320178164.post-27263589919267150572013-07-11T08:21:47.841-07:002013-07-11T08:21:47.841-07:00James Bevel's anom. "OneDaughter", w...James Bevel's anom. "OneDaughter", who wrote a note a few above this one, never answered my note two under hers requesting the information of where Bevel confessed and where the "written confession" is located. As I mentioned in my note to her, this data would be very useful to historicans, and if she or another member of anom's family can post that data here it would be useful. Thanks.<br /><br />Randy Kryn Randy Krynnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799660367320178164.post-88896247005810051332010-04-24T12:53:36.696-07:002010-04-24T12:53:36.696-07:00Interview with Helen Bevel
The following is the t...Interview with Helen Bevel<br /><br />The following is the text from an interview by a person who chooses to remain anonymous and Helen Bevel, the wife of Reverend James Luther Bevel and the mother of Aaralyn Mills. This interview took place during April, 2010.<br /><br />Interviewer - Good Afternoon. I’m so glad you have agreed to this interview.<br />Helen Bevel – Well I’m looking forward to it. Thank you for asking.<br />I – Now, Mrs. Bevel..<br />H – You can call me Helen<br />I – Okay, Helen you were married to Reverend James L. Bevel and the two of you had six children is that correct?<br />H – My late husband and I had five children, three girls and two boys. I had a daughter when I met Bevel.<br />I – Where you and Rev. Bevel divorced?<br />H – Yes, however in our tradition divorce like marriage is really just a piece of paper. I mean we were married 13 years before we made it legal in 1981. So the divorce didn’t end our marriage although many people based on the cultural norm believed we did, and acted in that manner.<br />I – So are you saying that in your tradition marriage is forever even though you may go thru divorce proceedings, other legal marriages, etc.<br />H – Yes, that is what I am saying. Marriage is an agreement and the agreement does not depend on paper or legal structures. It’s between the parties and God.<br />I – So what agreement did you and Rev. Bevel have?<br />H – Well, we agreed that the society as it is is based on a violent foundation which was rooted in the people that make up the society (including ourselves). So the next agreement was that each of us would work to eradicate from our self all aspects of the society and create a new society or system of relationships that is built on being healthy (physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually) and nonviolence. <br />I – Sounds like this agreement would include many others.<br />H – Yes, that is true; we further agreed to have children and to raise them to be healthy and nonviolent.<br />I – So excuse me for my bluntness, but wasn’t Rev. Bevel accused and found guilty of engaging in incest with one of your daughters as a minor? Did that nullify the agreement?<br />H – I can see how you would come to such a conclusion however, I said the agreement takes into account that we were born in sin and shaped in iniquity or a violent society and that we would work to get the violence out of ourselves. Incest and all sexual perversions are a part of this violent society. I mean no child is born a criminal. Criminal activity is something you learn. It is learned behavior not nature’s plan. Uprooting the particular malady and finding means and methods for doing this is a work in progress.<br />I – Do you believe that pedophilia or sexual offenders can be rehabilitated. It is a belief in the society that they can’t be healed.<br />H – Again the violent society has a lot of dead ends that say something can’t be done. Where there is a will there is a way, and whatever the mind of man can conceive, the mind of man can achieve. I believe that a person can be restored to the state of purity and innocence that they came to the planet with and let me add the level of health. And in that I believe this is achievable.<br /><br />The complete interview can be read at: http://myekadivine.blogspot.com/2010/04/interview-of-helen-bevel.htmlMyekahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05559893736633814978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799660367320178164.post-60147905001995397892009-10-16T12:35:33.568-07:002009-10-16T12:35:33.568-07:00To Namaste,
A few questions. Did your father kn...To Namaste,<br /> A few questions. Did your father know about the DNA tests which say he had no American Indian blood? He always said he did, and he seemed to beleive it, so one of your grandparents must have told him so. Check with his brother Charles to see if the family was told that.<br /> If you have or saw your dad's confession in his handwriting, or heard his confession, please pass along the details of where and when he made these confessions. I'd like to hear or read them.<br /> I was a friend of your father, but also a journalist who worked on your father's history long enough to become a historian in regards to his work. You have never spoken to me about my work, or my relationship with your dad, or what research brought me to which conclusion. If some of my data is wrong please let me know. I look forward to hearing more about the alleged confessions, and these would be useful to future researchers and historians.<br /> My best to you and your family,<br /> Randy KrynUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15091008762993556114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799660367320178164.post-85152569713747340732009-09-29T19:50:33.218-07:002009-09-29T19:50:33.218-07:00OneDaughter, I am truly, truly blown away by your ...OneDaughter, I am truly, truly blown away by your feedback and I do so appreciate your courage and insights. This just amazes me. I am so touched, it's hard to put into words. <br /><br />Your father, as you know, was a troubled but brilliant man. I loved him. Thank you for sharing your insights so freely and courageously. You are right: he did put power into the universe with his many children. Thank you for doing all you do. I am sure that you're a remarkable person. I hope that you have found peace and healing. I am seeking the same. If you can take the best of what your father taught - the best of who he was - and use it for this purpose, I should think that you would find this and bring it to others who have come from similar backgrounds. My hope is that we all find the sort of fierce dignity that you have fond for yourself, OneDaughter.<br /><br />Peace and love always,<br /><br />MarlaMarlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17051769657129028820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799660367320178164.post-69243343330770681232009-09-16T08:20:36.449-07:002009-09-16T08:20:36.449-07:00Marla,
Thank you for your post. It is insightful ...Marla,<br /><br />Thank you for your post. It is insightful and interesting to me as one of Jim's daughters to hear how you could glean so much about his complexities and his contradictions. Indeed, you are quite perceptive. Jim, like many public figures in our history spoke most boldly and most often about the very things with which he struggled. Even his veganism, like his purported sex-for-procreation-only ideology, was not without compromise. <br /><br />Many of his children have struggled our entire lives to understand and live with his contradictions. Many of us, like you, found it hard not to love him despite his monstrous deeds. Perhaps it was the grain of truth spoken in his lengthy sermons, the fearlessness and love he exhibited to change the world somewhere in his past, or the unyielding hope that he would one day heed his own message and atone for his horrific sins and violence. Just as the so-called "forefathers" of our country never comprehended the power of their own ideals (as far as I know, none of them fought for the freedom and dignity of all people), Jim never fully comprehended the power of the bits of truth he spoke. Yet, the power of those founding ideals was unmistakable and, as we have become more enlightened, those ideals have launched humankind into a place those same men could never have imagined (nor would they likely have found tolerable). Jim, too, spawned unmistakable power into the universe - not through the cult members who blindly followed him and foolishly justified his faults - but, ironically, through the very children he abused and abandoned.<br /><br />At his invitation, we used the most powerful tools of the movement - the six principles of nonviolent resistance, standing on the foundation of truth and love - to confront and address his pedophilia and his lies. We embarked on this weighty endeavor and unceasingly struggled with the man who gave us life for more than five long years before he died. Our reward was not that our father was convicted - for there was no glory in that and certainly no joy - but rather, contrary to Randy's misinformed assertions, we did get to hear his confession and, most recently, we read it in his own handwriting. Anyone who has ever suffered at the hands of another can understand what a gift confession can be. Unfortunately, our father did not get to live out the potential power of full atonement - for I always believed his true mission was to teach men that manhood cannot exist in an atmosphere that tolerates the public or private abuse, rape, objectification, denial of opportunities and education, discrimination or inferiority of women or the glorification of misogyny, abusiveness, narcissism and feigned superiority of men. Now, I suppose, that is our torch to bear. But, Jim did get to carry his own cross before he died, alleviating us of some of that pain.<br /><br />Though, again contrary to Mr. Kryn's misinformation, we have no Native American blood in our Bevel ancestry (as DNA tests have confirmed), we can hopefully reach around the world to atheist, pagans, Christians, Muslims, Jews, and fundamentalists alike to use our father's life - his amazing achievements and his dastardly shortcomings - to teach the principles he could never fully apply and comprehend. <br /><br />In truth and love,<br />Namaste!OneDaughterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11891742502269881536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799660367320178164.post-89383524322943897372009-08-30T05:52:33.123-07:002009-08-30T05:52:33.123-07:00p.s.
"nor have I ever". Please reread...p.s.<br /> "nor have I ever". Please reread your original post, you may have not reread it when answering my comment. That may also explain some other points in your answer.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15091008762993556114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799660367320178164.post-8230451660299288662009-08-30T05:39:23.498-07:002009-08-30T05:39:23.498-07:00Marla,
My comment above answers yours, a type o...Marla,<br /> My comment above answers yours, a type of comment sandwich. Read it again, in relationship to the topics and written perceptions included in your newest comment.<br /> RandyUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15091008762993556114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799660367320178164.post-55264486352331332782009-08-21T17:19:48.292-07:002009-08-21T17:19:48.292-07:00Hi, Randy -
I am only seeing this now so I apolo...Hi, Randy - <br /><br />I am only seeing this now so I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. Thank you for your feedback.<br /><br />I have to say that I disagree with both your interpretation of my characterization of Rev. Bevel and the historic veracity of our time working together. I described Rev. Bevel as charismatic, as a deeply moving orator, a brilliant mind, and you seem to be under the impression that I characterized him solely as dogmatic and intense. No, Randy, I didn't, but this is part of who he was and I think that it is revisionist to say the least to whitewash anything that could be construed as a criticism. I loved Rev. Bevel, as I said in my piece, but it was tempered by knowing this part of him. You may disagree, Randy, but that doesn't mean that you are correct and I am incorrect or vice verse: how people affect us is very personal and unique to the individuals who are affected. No one can impose his perspective on another no matter how much he might prefer that story. <br /><br />In terms of the pagan thing, for example, do you have some sort of barometer for judging if one is a "true" pagan? Also, how do you know how Jim responded to me when I told him I was pagan? Were you part of that conversation? Did you see things through my eyes? It is arrogant to impose your views on someone else's experience, no matter what an "expert" you might feel to be on the subject. I know what I saw, Randy. I only saw flashes of what I described, but I saw them. I don't need to justify this further. <br /><br />In terms of his anger, again, putting it again in the context in which I wrote it, I saw it only occasionally. By far, most of the time I saw Rev. Bevel, he was a very spirited, warm person. (I can't emphasize enough how much I loved being around this man.) But always putting things in "scientific" terms: no, Randy. In fact, one of the first times we met, he blew up at you in a way that was terrifying to everyone who was not familiar yet with Rev. Bevel. Truly, this was probably two minutes straight of absolutely vile language. I'm very surprised that you don't recall this. I am only bringing it up because you seem to have forgotten it in your response. This was not his standard way of acting, but it was there. I saw flashes of it then and again but never like that first time. Most of the time, he was open to debate and extremely reasonable. <br /><br />In terms of the incest accusation, I do not know what happened there. It is between him and his daughter (and the other daughters who subsequently corroborated). I do not know what happened and I cannot claim to, nor have I ever. <br /><br />In terms of walking away, again, Randy, I have a very, very different interpretation of things. I am happy to discuss them with you privately if you are ever inclined. <br /><br />I am happy and grateful for the time we spent together. I loved Reverend Bevel and all his extended family. Just because I interpreted things in a different way than you, it doesn't mean that I didn't very much respect Rev. Bevel and appreciate him and his gifts. I do, however, refuse to idealize him or anyone else for that matter. <br /><br />All the best,<br /><br />MarlaMarlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17051769657129028820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-799660367320178164.post-6503936531638541902009-03-14T09:12:00.000-07:002009-03-14T09:12:00.000-07:00As the initiator and organizer of the meetings and...As the initiator and organizer of the meetings and vegan movement concept that Marlo speaks of here, I had a very different impression of Rev. Bevel, whom I had known since 1983.<BR/> Loving, playful, and quick to smile, yes, but rather than a dogmatic Old Testament, pagan disliking, convert pursuing, guarded minister the Jim I knew, thank Goddess, came across to me as just the opposite.<BR/> As a lifelong farmer and lover of the soil and all of nature, Jim--who was 1/3 American Indian--had more pagan blood running in his veins than anyone else I met at those failed vegan movement meetings (won't go into why they failed on this blog). Eyes shameful? Head hanging embarrassed? Never saw Jim shameful or embarrassed, or with his guard "up". When he used anger to make a point he always released data in clear and scientific language, and didn't mind others expressing emotions around him.<BR/> The people who knew Jim, what to call them? How about 'friends'. or 'relatives'. I brought friends and relatives to the meetings from time to time, and Jim Bevel was one of the friends I brought who stuck around trying to educate, get work done, and get a movement up and running.<BR/> As for the incest, yes, he was convicted of it, but none of us really know if it occurred. He always denied the charge, and took his denial to the grave (in fact, over his grave--see his epitath pictured on the last page of his "Homegoing Program"). He told me when I first asked about it that if he had done what his daughter accused him of he would go right to the prison gate, pound on it, and demand to be let in.<BR/> So Jim, myself, and many of our friends and relatives met for over a year, trying to educate a group of people about movement, how to go about doing it, and presenting concise movement plans and options to them. None of us walked away.<BR/> A bit more of James Bevel's history. He, indeed, can be called the architect and strategist of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, and not only did Bevel--the Father of Voting Rights--call and plan the march from Selma-to-Montgomery, he initiated, strategized, and directed the entire Selma Movement.<BR/> As for the pot-lucks preceding our meetings, I can wholeheartedly agree with Marla. Everyone there liked food, cooked it well, and shared willingly. Lentils and rice anyone?Randy Krynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06395432808135811768noreply@blogger.com