Young Patriots Organization

The Young Patriots Organization was an American left-wing organization of the 1960s and 1970s. Growing out of an Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) project called Jobs Or Income Now (JOIN), its first leaders included Doug "Youngblood" Blakey, the son of Peggy Terry; Jack "Junebug" Boykin; Bobby Joe Mcginnis; William "Preacherman" Fesperman; and Hy Thurman. Originating in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, the organization was designed to support young, white migrants from the Appalachia region.^[1] With Fred Hampton of the Black Panther Party and José "Cha-Cha" Jiménez of the Young Lords Organization, the Young Patriots Organization helped to form the Rainbow Coalition (unrelated to Jesse Jackson's later Rainbow/PUSH Coalition). The group's early interactions with the Black Panthers are shown in the 1969 documentary American Revolution 2.

The Young Patriots wore a rebel Confederate flag on their blue jean jackets and berets, and fought against racism. They participated in demonstrations against police brutality and housing discrimination. In 1971, a portion of the Young Patriots attempted to build a national organization, renamed the Patriot Party, which had no relation to the right-wing group of the same name.

See also

• Southern Student Organizing Committee

Citations

References

Books:

• Philip S. Foner, ed. The Black Panthers Speak pp. 239–244
• Theorharis and Woodard, eds. Freedom North: Black Freedom Struggles Outside the Southpp. 54–56
• Jeffrey O.G. Ogbar Black Power: Radical Politics and African American Identitypp. 178–180
• Amy Sonnie and James Tracy "Hillbilly Nationalists, Urban Race Rebels and Black Power: Community Organizing in Radical Times."

Articles:

• Patrick King, "Introduction to the Young Patriots Organization", Viewpoint Magazine, August 10, 2015.
• James Tracy The Original Rainbow Coalition: An Interview With Bobby Lee AREA Chicago, September/October 2006

Film:

• American Revolution 2, 1969, director: Michael Grey.

* Young Lords in Lincoln Park
* National Young Lords