A special moment came when he recited the poem “Uncle Sam called me full of Lucifer”, with a booming voice and so much passion


by Stefano Aldighieri


The Chairman Speaks

“when in the course of human events it becomes necessary ... “

After a very short introduction, Bobby Seale takes the stage, grabs the microphone and begins to talk, with a strong, vibrant voice. He is wearing a blue shirt, chinos, and a black hat. Standing above the old photos of himself, he shows his age, but still has a young and very captivating energy.

He talks for almost two hours, remembering his youth as a child in the Oakland projects, his past experience in the Air Force, his jobs as aeronautical engineer, jazz drummer, stand up comedian ... his youth, living first hand the painful racist environment of those years.

The news of the assassination of Malcolm X at the hands of some FBI killer left a great impression on young Bobby; he goes on a “one man riot” and starts to see his role in society under a different light; people have to defend themselves from the endless persecution. His random encounter with Huey P. Newton on Merritt college grounds, the early days of what would become the Black Panther Party for Self Defense., first with the AA and RAM and then finally in its proper form, once the famous Ten Points were enunciated.

A special moment came when he recited the poem “Uncle Sam called me full of Lucifer”, with a booming voice and so much passion, that you would have thought for a moment you were in front of a great actor; the simple act of reciting that poem had him - and Huey P. Newton and his friend Weasel among others - arrested for no reason other than the fact that freedom of speech did not apply to everyone!

It was great to hear straight from the legendary founder of the movement so many tales of how the party started, gained its own consciousness and developed into a strong, powerful movement; the press did all they could possibly do to lie and misrepresent the real nature of the movement; J. Edgar Hoover systematically attempted, with terrorist tactics, to destroy them by murdering several members, jailing many others on phony charges, introducing secret instigators within the party to create a backlash against them from the black community.

In spite of all that, the party was gaining momentum, starting successful programs for their communities, feeding hundreds of thousands of children daily, creating free clinics, educating people and helping them with jobs and assistance.

That was the real reason why the US government went so ferociously after them; it had nothing to do with “violence” and weapons, those were within legality and strictly necessary to defend themselves with; the real danger was that for the first time since Marcus Garvey there was a real, growing consciousness within the oppressed classes. The words of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr and of Malcolm X were explained to the masses and supported with real action.

Bobby Seale lead the movement for several years, witnessing the murder of several of his associates and friends, the incarceration of many others - including of course himself (the trumped up charges that brought the famous trials against the Chicago Eight, and the New Haven trial with Ericka Huggins, for which he spent years in jail before being acquitted).

The Black Panther Party may have been virtually destroyed by their mighty enemy, but the Chairman remained involved with the communities, running for office (for Mayor in Oakland, which almost won twice), and helping organizing community work.

Some words for the present and the future

The relevance of Mr Seale’s words and action became even more evident when he talked about fundamental issues that affect us today and how we can be instrumental in solving them. The key message can be summarized in his focus in “community controls of economic frameworks that retail and produce services and goods and political institutions that affect our lives”. Practical, pragmatic words, no theoretical nonsense, and a total rejection of any form of violence.

Working within the system, in order to fight against what people like the Koch Brothers and their puppet governors and politicians are doing, trying to destroy the basic humane elements of our society in order to satisfy their endless greed.

Powerful message and inspiring words, to push people to ‘do something’ instead of being ‘armchair revolutionaries’. The vision of a real, honest, enthusiastic community organizer - this is the community organizer who should be in the White House!

This panther may be seventy three years old, he may have gone to hell and back several times, he may have been beaten, gagged, caged, wounded, but he never lost his spirit. His claws may not be as sharp, but his growl is still a force to be reckoned with.

This panther can definitely still pounce.

from Socialist Party of Los Angeles



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