Black History Speaks: Bobby Seale

Robert George Seale was born in Liberty, Texas, the first of three children. After relocating to several cities in Texas, his family finally settled in Oakland, California during World War II. After a stint in the Air Force, Seale attended Merritt College where he joined the Afro-American Association, a student group that promoted Black separatism, and there he met Huey Newton. Together, inspired by Malcolm X, they founded the Black Panther Party for Self Defense (BPP). Seale served as the Chairman while Newton served as the Minister of Defense. In the early years of the Black Panther Party, Seale was repeatedly arrested and tried on multiple charges. He was a defendant and part of the Chicago Eight and the New Haven Black Panther trials. Following several outbursts, the judge orders “Chicago Eight” defendant Bobby Seale gagged and chained to his chair during his trial. Seale and his seven fellow defendants (David Dellinger, Rennie Davis, Thomas Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Lee Weiner,