People filled every chair and lined the walls of the Union’s Cotillion Ballroom Thursday night for the Tribute to Black History Month.
Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, was the event’s keynote speaker.
Seale said he wanted to stress the importance of understanding the background of all people.
“Whether a person is black, white, yellow, red, green or polka-dot.– no matter what ethnicity they are — it’s important for all humanity to be respectful of their history,” Seale said.
Seale addressed the common misconceptions and stereotypes of the Black Panther Party.
“Many people have a misunderstanding of what the Black Panther Party Stood for,” Seale said. “We advocated power for the people — all people.”
Seale said a film by Mario Van Peoples made about the Black Panther Party portrayed the members as uneducated thugs.
“What they neglected to mention was that the founding members of the Black Panther Party were college students,” he said.
Seale also said when the organization began to grow, the FBI counterintelligence program began sending press releases to newspapers around the country describing the group as radical black people.
“What they did not bother to mention was that the Black Panther Party was not just composed of radical black people, but radical white people as well,” Seale said.
After relating an extensive history of the Black Panther Party’s formation and tribulations, Seale ended his speech by encouraging the audience to maintain a focus of education to challenge present-day injustices.
Representatives from each Black History Month committee also contributed to the event. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Dance Ensemble opened the program with a performance.
Mr. and Miss Imani 2004 served as the Master and Mistress of Ceremonies.
The Sankofa Poets and Apollo Players displayed their poetic skills and theatrical talents. LaKeya Jones, chair of the Art of African Dance, used a Powerpoint presentation to share a review of the 2004 Black History Month events.
The College Family Reunion, held at Southern University at 11 a.m. Feb. 28, will mark the end of the 2004 Black History Month celebration.