Berkeley Rep Presents A CONVERSATION WITH BOBBY SEALE

As the revolution continues on stage with added performances of Party People, an energetic and vibrant musical about the legacies of the Black Panthers and Young Lords, Berkeley Rep presents "A Conversation with Bobby Seale," a one-night-only engagement with the co-founder and former chairman of the Black Panther Party in the Roda Theatre on Monday, November 17, 2014. Seale, who co-founded the Black Panther Party for Self Defense in 1966 along with Huey P. Newton, will offer a rare insider perspective on the history and politics of the Black Panther Party, as well as his current work concerning social justice and human rights issues. The evening will also include a moderated discussion led by Davey D, a nationally recognized journalist and host of KPFA's Hard Knock Radio, and conclude with a book signing of Seale's Seize the Time: The Story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton. "A Conversation with Bobby Seale" is presented in association with the Museum of African Diaspora and Oakland Museum of California and is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.

WHAT: "A Conversation with Bobby Seale," a presentation and discussion featuring the co-founder and chairman of the Black Panther Party, moderated by Davey D, longtime journalist, professor at San Francisco State University, and host of KPFA's Hard Knock Radio.

WHERE: The Roda Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St, Berkeley, CA 94704

WHEN: Monday, November, 17 2014, at 7:00 PM; doors open at 6:00 PM

HOW MUCH: Free! Seating is limited; General admission tickets are available at bobbyseale.eventbrite.com

Bobby Seale, the son of a carpenter, was born in Dallas, Texas, on October 22, 1936. During the Second World War the Seale family moved to the Bay Area. Seale attended Berkeley High School and joined the United States Air Force shortly after graduation. He served for three years until being court-martialed for disobeying the command of a colonel at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. In 1960 Seale enrolled at Merritt College in Oakland where he heard Martin Luther King speak at the Oakland Auditorium. Influenced by what he heard, Seale joined the Afro-American Association and became active in the civil rights movement. He soon met Huey Newton, also a student at Merritt College. In 1966 Seale and Newton created the Black Panther Party and wrote the Ten-Point Program. By 1968 the activities of the Black Panthers came to the attention of Richard M. Nixon and J. Edgar Hoover, and the FBI. Hoover described the Panthers as "the greatest threat to the internal security of the country" and Nixon ordered the FBI to employ "hard-hitting counter-intelligence measures to cripple the Black Panthers." In 1969 Seale was one of the radicals charged with conspiring to incite riots around the 1968 Democratic Party Convention. Seale's fellow defendants included David Dillinger (Liberation), Tom Hayden (Students for a Democratic Society), Rennie Davis (National Mobilization Committee), and Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin (Youth International Party). When Seale repeatedly interrupted court proceedings for six weeks the judge ordered him to be bound and gagged for three days. Eventually Seale was sentenced to four years in jail for 16 counts of contempt of court. While in jail he was charged with conspiracy to murder Alex Rackley, a former Black Panther suspected of being a police informant. On May 25, 1971, the trial ended in a hung jury and the judge ordered all charges against Seale to be dropped. In 1973 Seale took 42 percent of the vote for mayor of Oakland and came second out of nine candidates with 43,710 votes. Over the last 30 years Seale has worked on a variety of community projects and published several books including Seize the Time: The Story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton (1970), an autobiography, A Lonely Rage (1978), and Barbeque'n with Bobby (1987).

Davey D Cook is a nationally recognized journalist, adjunct professor in the Afro-American Studies program at San Francisco State College, hip-hop historian, syndicated talk-show host, radio programmer, producer, deejay, and media and community activist. Originally from the Bronx, NY, he moved to California and graduated from UC Berkeley. Davey D is the co-founder and host of KPFA's Hard Knock Radio, an award-winning daily syndicated afternoon show focusing on hip-hop culture and politics.

ABOUT BERKELEY REP

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has grown from a storefront stage to an international leader in innovative theatre. Known for its core values of imagination and excellence, as well as its educated and adventurous audience, the nonprofit has provided a welcoming home for emerging and established artists since 1968. In four decades, four million people have enjoyed nearly 400 shows at Berkeley Rep. These shows have gone on to win five Tony Awards, seven Obie Awards, nine Drama Desk Awards, one Grammy Award, and many other honors. Learn more at berkeleyrep.org.

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