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 
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