By Chaya Wilkins and Christin Baker
The co-founder of the Black Panther Party presented the history of an organization that helped change the face of institutionalized racism last week, to a predominantly African American crowd.
The activist, Bobby Seale, was invited to speak on behalf of the African Latino Fraternal Sororal Alliance (ALFSA).
Seale discussed the 10 original goals of the Black Panther Party and how they still apply to the world today.
The Black Panther Party was not a hate group formed to target the white population, which was a misconception many held toward the party, Seale said. Rather, it was formed to uplift black unity in the black community.
“All power to all people,” said Seale, adding that this message is what the party fought to promote in the 60s and is a struggle he feels is still worth fighting for today.
“This human liberation struggle continues,” he said.
However, today Seale said one must go about fighting in a different way.
“The laws have changed,” he said. “You can’t patrol the police with a loaded gun.”
One way to truly inform society about the issues African Americans face is through informative programming.
He reflected on the days of speaking out against police brutality on his college campus and the misconception that many right-wing conservatives had about the party.
“What did we stand for? Yes, black unity in the black community, but only as a catalyst to help humanize the world,” said Seale. “We don’t violate the law, we use law.”
Seale was born in Dallas, later relocating with his family to various parts of Texas before they settled in Oakland, Calif. in 1962. While attending Oakland City College, Seale said he became aware of the struggle for rights in the African American community. When he began to learn the truth behind misleading, mythical facts on the heritage of black people and their culture, Seale said he was blown away.
It was at the college that he met Huey P. Newton, co-founder of the party. In 1963 Malcolm X, an activist for black power, was killed and the next day, Seale said he and Newton decided a new organization needed to be started in support of the black community.
Three years later, in 1966, the Black Panther Party originated with 14 members. The foundation of the party was taken from the first two paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence. Seale and Newton, also a founder of the party, knew the importance of the law and how it could be used to benefit the African American condition.
At the time, Ronald Reagan was the governor of California and he was trying to stop Seale and his group from continuing the Black Panther Party. Reagan deemed the members of the organization hoodlums, Seale said.
“Newton and I were well-educated and well-read college students,” Seale said. “We knew our black history.”
Due to the dedication of the leaders, the group increased over time from 45 to 5,000 members across 49 states. The party continued its rallies, which involved members walking through the streets of Oakland, Calif., with signs and rifles, protesting for equality.
Seale said he discovered that in order to change the African American condition he had to actively seek to understand it.
“I read a dissertation about 250 slave revolts,” Seale said. “It told me that black folks did not sit on there butts during slavery; we were not docile.”
Photo Courtesy Bobbyseale.com