Bobby Seale attended Berkley High School, and it was there that he started to become aware of what surrounded him; both politically and economically. However he did not start becoming active with his beliefs until after the military. Seale dropped out of High School and joined the Air Force in 1955, but this did not last long. He was released in 1959 due to an altercation with a superior officer at Eliswoth Air Force Base in South Dakota. Having no valid education, Seale went to work at a sheet metal factory and earned his high school diploma at night. After gaining this, he went to Merrit College until 1962, studying engineering and politics. During his time at Merrit College, Seale joined the Afro-American Association. It was at a rally through this group, that Seale met Newton, and as many recall, "they were inseperable."
A BREIF HISTORY.
black pride!
"On the one hand, the guns were there to help capture the imagination of the people. But more important, since we knew we couldn't observe the police without guns, we took our guns..."
"Our position was: if you don't attack us, there wion't be any violence; if you bring violence to us, we will defend ourselves."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Armed with the influence of Malcolm X and Karl Marx, Newton and Seale set out to make a group with the porperties that they so greatly admired and respected but couldn't find anywhere else; A pro-Communism, militant style, liberation group. They were not immeaditely successful, and struggled for months on finding members and lodging and even a way to make this radical dream become a reality. Many people were still held back by the peaceful protest movement, whoose popularity amongst the younger generations was dying out, and were not willing to risk their lives. But, after the death of Denzil Dowell, the people of Oakland thought the now 6 member group might have ideas worth listening to. The reaction to the trajic death was just enough momentum for the Panthers.