Christine Miller
Born(1918-06-04)June 4, 1918
Brownsville, Texas, U.S.
DiedNovember 18, 1978(1978-11-18) (aged 60)
Jonestown, Guyana
Cause of deathCyanide poisoning
Known forAttempts to prevent Jonestown massacre

Christine Miller (June 4, 1918 – November 18, 1978)[1] was a member of the Peoples Temple cult led by Jim Jones. She is known for being the only Temple member to publicly urge Jones against carrying out the group's mass murder in Jonestown, Guyana on November 18, 1978.[2][3] Ultimately, she was unsuccessful in persuading Jones and died that same day, alongside 908 other Temple members.[4][5]

Background

Miller was born in Brownsville, Texas in 1918 and joined the Peoples Temple in Los Angeles.[1] She was African-American.[6] On January 3, 1978, she moved to the newly built Temple communal settlement of Jonestown in Guyana.[1]

Events at Jonestown

On November 18, 1978, Congressman Leo Ryan, who had been visiting the Peoples Temple as part of a government investigation, left Jonestown with several defectors. Jim Jones sent Temple gunmen to ambush them at the Port Kaituma airstrip, killing Ryan and four others.[7] Later that day, Jones called all Temple members in Jonestown to the pavilion to commit suicide.[8] Jones' aides prepared a large metal tub with poisoned Flavor Aid for that purpose.[9]

Once the Temple members had gathered, Jones told them that they must all commit suicide as a "revolutionary act" and to protect their children from being "butchered" by the U.S. government once they find out about Leo Ryan's murder.[8] In response, Miller stood up and argued that Temple members should instead attempt an airlift to the Soviet Union, which Jones claimed was not feasible.[1] Miller contended that "when we destroy ourselves, we are defeated"[10] and stated, confronting Jones with his own past words, that "I feel like as long as there’s life, there’s hope. That’s my faith."[1] Miller further argued that the young children in Jonestown deserved to live.[8] Jones countered by saying that "someday everybody dies, some place that hope runs out" and that the children of Jonestown deserved peace through death.[8]

Jim McElvane, a member of Temple leadership, chastised Miller for challenging Jones and claimed that she was only standing where she was because of Jones; which was met with cheers.[8][1] Miller continued to try and persuade Jones to call off the mass suicide, but was ultimately shouted down by the crowd, which had become hostile toward her.[2][11] Miller and 908 others, including 304 children, died at Jonestown.[4][12]

Legacy

Miller is regarded in modern times by some as a symbol of courageous dissent and advocacy, a virtue Jones himself acknowledged during their last debate. Peoples Temple researcher Michael Bellefountaine wrote that Miller's protests "might have given voice to many Jonestown residents who did not want to die". He praised Miller for sticking to her beliefs and being "a beacon for those who realize that self-respect comes from inside."[1] Author Sikivu Hutchinson has characterized Miller as "valiantly and singularly standing up against Jim Jones" and "speaking for the voiceless".[3][13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bellefountaine, Michael (1918-06-04). "Christine Miller: A Voice of Independence – Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple". Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  2. 1 2 "Survivor: 'They Started with the Babies'". Washington Post. 1978-11-21. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  3. 1 2 Garrova, Robert (2016-01-08). "Listening to the voices silenced by the Jonestown Massacre". Southern California Public Radio. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  4. 1 2 "Inside the Jonestown massacre". CNN. November 13, 2008. Archived from the original on May 25, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  5. ↑ "How many people died on November 18?" Archived November 7, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple. Jonestown Project: San Diego State University.
  6. ↑ Ahrens, Chris (2016-03-25). "Dear People: Remembering Jonestown". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  7. ↑ "Reporter's 1978 account of deadly ambush, Jonestown tragedy". AP News. 2018-11-14. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Jonestown Audiotape Primary Project." Archived December 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple
  9. ↑ Lusher, Adam (2018-03-07). "The Jonestown massacre and how 918 people followed a cult leader to Guyana and died in a single day". The Independent. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  10. ↑ Poster, Alexander (2018-11-18). "Perspective". Washington Post. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  11. ↑ "The True Believers of Jonestown". Wilson Quarterly. 1978-11-18. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  12. ↑ "How many children and minors died in Jonestown? What were their ages? – Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple". Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple. 2013-06-15. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  13. ↑ "No More White Saviors: Jonestown and Peoples Temple in the Black Feminist Imagination". Black Jonestown. 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
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