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Bobby Seale

Bobby Seale
Usage Conditions Apply
Artist
Anthony Salvatore Accurso, 1940 - 23 Oct 1987
Sitter
Bobby Seale, born 1936
Date
1969
Type
Drawing
Medium
Watercolor and ink on paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 35.5 × 42.5 cm (14 × 16 3/4")
Topic
Interior\Courtroom
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Beard
Illustration
Bobby Seale: Male
Bobby Seale: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Political activist
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; bequest of Anthony Accurso
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Object number
NPG.90.62
Exhibition Label
Born Liberty, Texas
Inspired by Malcolm X’s message of black empowerment, Bobby Seale and his friend Huey Newton co-founded the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in Oakland, California, in 1966. In addition to providing assistance programs for the city’s poor, the Black Panthers adopted a militant approach to social justice, challenging police brutality, racism, and economic exploitation through aggressive action. This portrait was made during Seale’s trial as one of the “Chicago Eight,” who were charged with conspiracy to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. In response to Seale’s vehement demands for his constitutional rights, the judge ordered him bound and gagged, and sentenced him to four years in prison for contempt. Those charges were dismissed, and his trial for murder the following year ended with a hung jury. Seale subsequently renounced violence as a means to an end and now devotes his time to advising students on community organizing and social change.
Nacido en Liberty, Texas
Inspirado por el mensaje de empoderamiento de los negros promovido por Malcolm X, Bobby Seale y su amigo Huey Newton fundaron el Partido Pantera Negra de Autodefensa en Oakland, California, en 1966. Además de proporcionar programas de asistencia para la gente pobre de la ciudad, los integrantes de Pantera Negra militaron por la justicia social, desafiando la brutalidad policial, el racism y la explotación económica por medio de acciones agresivas. Este retrato se tomó durante el juicio de Seale como uno de los “Ocho de Chicago”, acusados de conspiración por incitar revueltas en la Convención Nacional Demócrata de 1968. En respuesta a las vehementes demandas de Seale por sus derechos constitucionales, el juez ordenó que lo ataran y lo amordazaran y lo sentenció a cuatro años en prisión por desacato. Aquellas acusaciones se desestimaron y su juicio por asesinato al año siguiente terminó en desacuerdo por parte del jurado. Posteriormente, Seale renunció a la violencia como medio para conseguir un fin y ahora dedica su tiempo a aconsejar a estudiantes sobre la organización comunitaria y el cambio social.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view