The Black Panther Party formed to liberate the African-American people from a government that… The Black Panther Party formed to liberate the African-American people from a government that continuously oppressed them, said Bobby Seale, one of the two founders of the group.

The party was not fighting people, but a government that was exploiting and stifling African Americans, he said.

“We need to humanize the world,” he said. “In order to do that we need to be interconnected, interrelated and interdependent with other liberations.”

Seale spoke to nearly 250 people of many races and ages at the David Lawrence Auditorium last Thursday. The event was part of an evening celebrating Black History Month, presented by the Department of Africana Studies.

Seale helped establish the group to ensure the safety and fair treatment of African-American people, he explained. They would patrol and observe the police to carry out these efforts.

Kids in the neighborhood would knock on members’ doors to inform the group that someone was being pulled over by the police or arrested, he said. The group would gather and head to the scene to observe the police and the officers’ actions.

Seale tried to inform the audience about the truths of the group and its goals, which have been misrepresented in the past, he said.

Huey Newton, the cofounder of the group, studied and knew the California laws inside and out. He taught them to all the members so that everything was done legally, Seale said.

“The nature of a black panther, when backed in a corner, was to move right and left to get out of the way,” he said. “But if you continue to push that panther in a corner, it will get out.”

The name of the party was chosen because he felt blacks in America were being put through this scenario, and that it was their time to get out of the corner into which they were being backed, he said.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X were three major influences on Seale and inspired him to take action, he said. The murder of Malcolm X led Seale and Newton to form the party in November 1966.

After listening to a speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Oakland, Calif., the two got together and created a 10 point program, which became the basis of the organization. They originally named the group the “Black Panther Party for Self Defense.”

They only way to make progress is with collective efforts, explained Seale.

Frank C. Ross, a sophomore at Pitt, said Seale inspired him by making history and accomplishing his goals. Not too many people can say they did that, he pointed out.

He also liked that Seale cleared up the common misconceptions of the group.

“They are portrayed as radical racists when really, they’re all about unity,” Ross said.

Junior Matt Balotta was enthused by the speech because it showed him the impact of organizing. As a local peace activist, he said it proved that a person could make a difference.

“It makes me feel better about society,” he said.

The evening ended with food and refreshments served in the lobby, while Seale autographed copies of his two books, “A Lonely Range: The Autobiography of Bobby Seale” and “Seize the Time: The Story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton.”