Black History Month: The Revolutionary Minds That Molded and Led The Black Panther Party

Bobby Seale

As the co-founder of the Black Panther Party, Seale was arrested multiple times, which included his involvement at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, a conspiracy to incite riots in Chicago in 1969 and for the murder of a Black Panther suspected of being a police informant.

Seale authored a book in 1968 titled Seize The Time: The Story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton. After he was released from prison in 1972, Seale found that the party had split into two fractions, one supporting him and Newton, and the other supporting exiled former Party leader Eldridge Cleaver. Seale ran for mayor of Oakland in 1973 but lost to John Reading.

Today, Seale speaks about his days as a Black Panther and is an advocate for civil rights and social change. Since 2002, he has been assisting Reach!, a group the focuses on youth education programs. He has also taught black studies at Temple University.