The month of February marks the U.S. annual Black History Month, which is a time to reflect and learn about those who have fought and been activists for members of the Black community as well as understand the history of the community within the United States.

On Feb. 13 Colorado State University had keynote speaker Bobby Seale, a co-founder of the Black Panther Party, visit campus as one of the many events held by the Black/African American Cultural Center to celebrate the month.

Seale grew up in Oakland, California, which is about a 30-minute drive from the city of San Francisco. He began his talk by explaining what the time looked like for people of color, what he grew up with and how the idea of civil and Black rights was not even a thought for him.

“I was raised by a carpenter,” Seale said. “There was no such thing as Black history in the 1950s and 1960s. I thought it was a communist movement.”

The idea of being able to stand up for Black rights at the time seemed foreign to Seale, and he was unsure if it was even legal.

“After I saw Martin Luther King speak, I was told that fighting and activating for these rights would not only help us be equal, but it would help us become economically established at the time. After that, I was in,” -Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panther Party

During the 1950s and early 1960s, prior to the official founding of the Black Panther Party in 1966, Seale worked hard with other people of color to understand how to practice activism legally. This was to ensure they would be safe and reduce the chances of arrest. Seale explained they did this by studying the law and recalled times they had to use the knowledge in defense.

In the early beginnings of the party, the few members they had at the time observed police and studied the laws around doing so for over a month.

Even at 86 years old, Seale can recall the information of the time he founded the Black Panther Party as if it was yesterday. He often told jokes and had the audience laughing at each one.

During the founding of the Black Panther Party, Seale said what sold him was the connection of civil rights to economic status.

“After I saw Martin Luther King speak, I was told that fighting and activating for these rights would not only help us be equal, but it would help us become economically established at the time,” Seale said. “After that, I was in.”

The villainization of the Black Panther Party was a key point in Seale’s speech, as the idea of Black individuals standing up to the police at the time painted the group in a dangerous light.

“We were portrayed in the media as hooligans and thugs,” Seale said. “I wanted to capture the imagination of what could be and unify my brothers and sisters.”

Seale wanted the audience to understand that the party was not violent, but rather, the media and government portrayed them that way. The idea of unifying the Black community was a scary thought for those in power at the time, and to make the Black Panther Party feared was an easy way to target them.

Seale wrapped up his speech by reflecting on the early beginnings of the Black Panther Party and encouraging those who want change to seek change.

His first-hand accounts of the history were eye-opening and allowed the audience to understand the struggles people of color were facing. Seale made the point that although his work was influential, it is far from over.

Reach Katherine Borsting at life@collegian.com or on Twitter @katbor2025.