Bobby Seale, Cofounder of Black Panther League, to Give Lecture At Pitt in Celebration of Black History Month, Feb. 5

PITTSBURGH—Bobby Seale, cofounder of the Black Panther Party, will present a lecture in celebration of Black History Month at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 5 in the University of Pittsburgh's David Lawrence Hall, 3942 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Seale will discuss the Black Panther Party, the protest movement of the 1960s, and the future of human liberation movements.

Born Robert George Seale in 1936, Seale attended Oakland City College (Merritt College), in Oakland, Calif. There, he joined the Afro-American Association (AAA), which sparked his career as a militant activist. Seale met fellow-activist Huey P. Newton through the AAA, and together they founded the Black Panther Party, known for its fierce, militant actions to ensure Black rights.

Having participated in the demonstrations at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, Seale was sentenced to four years in prison for contempt of court. He was released a year later because the charges were dropped.

Seale left Oakland and the Panthers after an unsuccessful run for mayor in 1973. He has since published his autobiography, A Lonely Range (Times Books, 1978), Seize the Time (Black Classic Press, 1970), and Barbeque'n with Bobby (LLC Publications, 1987), a cookbook from which the proceeds go to various nonprofit social organizations.

This event is sponsored by the Students of the Department of Africana Studies (SODAS) and is free and open to the public.

The SODAS became a University recognized student organization Feb. 6, 2003. It addresses the concerns, needs, and interests of students majoring or interested in Africana Studies and strives to strengthen the bond between Pitt's campus and the surrounding community. The SODAS is designed to be a cocurricular component for the education of Africana Studies majors at the University by sponsoring lectures, panels, forums, and cultural events.

For more information, contact SODAS at 412-648-7882.

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