The Young Patriots Organization was an American left-wing organization of the 1960s and 70s. Growing out of an SDS project called JOIN (Jobs Or Income Now), its first leader was Doug "Youngblood" Blakey, the son of Peggy Terry. It was later led by Jack "Junebug" Boykin, and then, William "Preacherman" Fesperman. Originating in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, the organization was designed to support young, white migrants from the Appalachia

Appalachia

Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...

 region. However with Fred Hampton

Fred Hampton

Fred Hampton was an African-American activist and deputy chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party...

 of the Black Panther Party

Black Panther Party

The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....

 and José "Cha-Cha" Jiménez

Jose Cha Cha Jimenez

José Jiménez is one of the seven founders of the Young Lords street gang in Chicago, and the founder of the Young Lords as a national human rights movement in 1968...

 of the Young Lords Organization the three organizations formed the Rainbow Coalition

Rainbow Coalition (Fred Hampton)

The Rainbow Coalition was a coalition active in the late 1960s and early 1970s, founded in Chicago, Illinois by Fred Hampton of the activist Black Panther Party, along with William "Preacherman" Fesperman of the Young Patriots Organization and Jose Jimenez, the Puerto Rican founder of the Young...

 (unrelated to Jesse Jackson's later Rainbow/PUSH

Rainbow/PUSH

Rainbow/PUSH is a non-profit organization formed as a merger of two non-profit organizations — Operation PUSH and the National Rainbow Coalition — founded by Jesse Jackson. The organizations pursue social justice, civil rights and political activism.In December 1971, Jackson resigned from...

 Coalition). The group's early interactions with the Black Panthers are shown in the 1969 documentary American Revolution 2

American Revolution 2

American Revolution 2 is a 1969 documentary on the 1968 Democratic National Convention and its aftermath. Part of the film focuses on the creation of an alliance between the Young Patriots Organization and local Black Panthers. On its release Roger Ebert gave the film four stars, while New York...

.

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

Patriot Party (1960s-1980s)

The Patriot Party was an American socialist organization of the late 1960s and early 1970s that organized poor, rural whites in the Appalachian South and Pacific Northwest. The party was formed after a split with the Young Patriots Organization...

, no relation to the right-wing group of the same name.