28 Facts About Bobby Seale

Robert George Seale was born on October 22,1936 and is an American engineer, political activist and author.

Bobby Seale was one of the eight people charged by the US federal government with conspiracy charges related to anti-Vietnam War protests in Chicago, Illinois, during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

Bobby Seale's case was severed from the other defendants, turning the "Chicago Eight" into the "Chicago Seven".

In 1970, while in prison, Bobby Seale was charged and tried as part of the New Haven Black Panther trials over the torture and murder of Alex Rackley, whom the Black Panther Party had suspected of being a police informer.

Seale's books include A Lonely Rage: The Autobiography of Bobby Seale, Seize the Time: The Story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P Newton, and Power to the People: The World of the Black Panthers.

Bobby Seale was born in Liberty, Texas, to George Seale, a carpenter, and Thelma Seale, a homemaker.

The Bobby Seale family lived in poverty during most of his early life.

Bobby Seale attended Berkeley High School, then dropped out in 1955 and joined the United States Air Force.

Bobby Seale subsequently worked as a sheet metal mechanic for various aerospace plants while studying for his high school diploma at night.

In June 1966, Bobby Seale began working at the North Oakland Neighborhood Anti-Poverty Center in its summer youth program.

Bobby Seale's objective was to teach the youth in the program Black American History and encourage their responsibility toward the people in their communities.

In 1968, Seale wrote Seize the Time: The Story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P Newton.

Bobby Seale was one of the original "Chicago Eight" defendants charged with conspiracy and inciting a riot in the wake of the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Bobby Seale was in Chicago for only two days of the convention.

Bobby Seale was repeatedly bound and gagged for several days of the trial.

The government suspended his contempt convictions, and Bobby Seale was released from prison in 1972.

Bobby Seale was implicated in the murder, with police suspecting he had ordered it in retaliation for the affair, but no charges were pressed.

In 1973 Bobby Seale ran for Mayor of Oakland, California as a Democrat.

Bobby Seale has denied that any such physical altercation took place, dismissing rumors that he and Newton were ever less than friends.

Bobby Seale worked with Huey Newton to create the Ten Point platform.

In 1978, Bobby Seale wrote an autobiography titled A Lonely Rage.

In 1998, Bobby Seale appeared on the television documentary series Cold War, discussing the events of the 1960s.

Bobby Seale was the central protagonist alongside Kathleen Cleaver, Jamal Joseph and Nile Rodgers in the 1999 theatrical documentary Public Enemy by Jens Meurer, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival.

Bobby Seale has taught black studies at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Also in 2002, Bobby Seale moved back to Oakland, working with young political advocates to influence social change.

Bobby Seale has visited over 500 colleges to share his personal experiences as a Black Panther and to give advice to students interested in community organizing and social justice.

Since 2013, Bobby Seale has been seeking to produce a screenplay he wrote based on his autobiography, Seize the Time: The Eighth Defendant.

Bobby Seale co-authored Power to the People: The World of the Black Panthers, a 2016 book with photographer Stephen Shames.