Seale, Bobby

Seale, Bobby (1936–  ) political activist, educator; born in Dallas, Texas. One of the original Black Panthers (1966), he gained notoriety for his vociferous demonstrations during and after the 1968 Chicago convention. He was jailed in connection with those riots and was one of 13 Panthers held in connection with the alleged execution of suspected Panther informer Alex Rackley. Later adopting a moderate political approach, he ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Oakland, Calif. (1973), resigned as Black Panther chairman (1974), wrote his autobiography, A Lonely Rage, and dropped out of the black power movement. An associate in the African-American history department at Temple University (1980s), he wrote a cookbook called Barbeque with Bobby (1987) with proceeds going to grassroots political groups.