The Young Patriots Organization was an American left-wing organization of the 1960s and 1970s. Growing out of an SDS project called JOIN (Jobs Or Income Now), 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. However with Fred Hampton of the Black Panther Party and José "Cha-Cha" Jiménez of the Young Lords Organization the three organizations formed 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, no relation to the right-wing group of the same name.
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“Hear, then, a mortal Muse thy praise rehearse,
In no ignoble verse;
But such as thy own voice did practise here,
When thy first-fruits of Poesy were given,
To make thyself a welcome inmate there;
While yet a young probationer,
And candidate of Heaven.”
—John Dryden (1631–1700)
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—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
“To fight oppression, and to work as best we can for a sane organization of society, we do not have to abandon the state of mind of freedom. If we do that we are letting the same thuggery in by the back door that we are fighting off in front of the house.”
—John Dos Passos (1896–1970)