Small White Town Welcomes Former Black Panther Bobby Seale

If it seems weird that this tiny coastal town hosted the founder of the Black Panther Party on Thursday night, then you don't know Yachats. Yes, the 2000 census only listed a single African-American resident in this town of 600 people. But Bobby Seale says his message was always intended for all of humanity, not just the members of his own race. Judging by the 200-plus crowd, the people here seem to understand that. Which says as much about Yachats as it does about Seale's fading notoriety. "You're where?" Seale asked Verin Lewis, a Yachats resident who invited the former Panther to speak. But it wasn't long afterward that Seale himself was smelling salt air, wearing his trademark black beret turned to the side. The Yachats Commons audience greeted 67-year-old Seale with a standing ovation, even a few raised black-power style fists before his speech about the Panther movement and what it means for modern-day activism. [more ]