BLACK PANTHER PARTY FOUNDER BOBBY SEALE WILL SPEAK AT BOISE STATE

Bobby Seale, founder of the Black Panther Party, will bring his message of environmental and civil activism to Boise State University at a public lecture at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24, in the Student Union Jordan Ballroom. The lecture is sponsored by the Boise State Student Programs Board.

In his talks, Seale transports the audience back to the turbulent 1960s when civil rights protestors filled America’s streets and young Black Panther Party members sold the party’s newspapers, law books and legal guns for self-defense. In 1966, along with Huey P. Newton, Seale founded the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in response to the murders and brutalization of civil rights activists involved in nonviolent protests.

The Black Panther Party also instituted a "Ten Point Program" aimed at improving employment, housing, medical care, economic issues and other civil and human rights. Seale was jailed in 1969, along with the Chicago Seven, and eventually released after winning a politically charged trial.

Seale’s message for the 21st century is one of democratic, ecological and economic empowerment. He is currently the community liaison for the department of African American studies at Temple University. He is also the creator and director of REACH, an organization advocating environmental, ecological and economic empowerment.

Seale’s lecture is free and open to the public. For information, call 426-1223. For more information about Seale, visit www.bobbyseale.com.

Contact:
Christy Van Winkle
Student Programs Board
426-3874