The Black Panther Party and Bobby Seale are so closely intermingled, that while researching his life, I got more on the history of the Panthers, than Bobby Seale himself. And that is because Bobby Seale's life was the Black Panthers. He dedicated his life to the Panthers so that they could thrive and make a difference for the welfare of Black people. So I thought it only fair, that while doing a magazine on the legacy of Bobby Seale, I should insert a piece about the Panthers, because to retell his life and not talk about the Panthers would be disowning a part of him.
Born October 15, 1966, nameless and memberless, The Black Panther Party was created as a way to protect and serve the Black community. They would institute a number of free programs, such as the Free Breakfast Program and community health clinics for those living paycheck to paycheck. Assuming that they were lucky to have a paycheck at all. The Panthers claimed to have fed over 200,000 kids daily, at the hieght of the program. You see, the Panthers wanted to combat racism but they were more than that. They wanted to educate and serve their people, assuming that the more educated they were, the better equiped people would be to face racism. They taught classes and gave speeches on "real American history" and how to stand up against police brutality, famously saying that "The blood, sweat, tears and suffering of black people are the foundation of the wealth and power of the United States. We were forced to build America, and if forced, we will tear it down. The immediate result of its destruction will be suffering and bloodshed. But the end result will be perpetual peace for mankind." This idealogy being one simliar to those of the "Back to Africa" movement also going on at the time. They would also challenge police brutality, using a method that they called "Policing the Police." They utilized the open-carry gun laws in
"People call me a hoodlum and a thug. But they didn't tell you I was a carpenter, an architect, a stand-up comic- even a bartender. And a barbeque cook. But they didn't tell you that."