The Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade is the former youth group of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA. Founded originally as the Attica Brigade, it became the Revolutionary Student Brigade. The RCYB uniform included T-shirts with a large red star superimposed with the silhouette of a young person raising a rifle. Some of these T-Shirts included the message, "I was born in the sewer called capitalism but now I'm living for revolution!"
The RCYB's founding conference was held in 1977 and the key speech was given by the chairman of the RCP, USA, Bob Avakian. In later years the RCYB attempted to form alliances with anarchists and other radicals. These efforts were met with mixed reactions on the left.
The most famous member of the RCYB was Gregory Lee "Joey" Johnson. During the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas, he burned the United States flag to protest the policies of the Reagan administration. Johnson was arrested and convicted, but had his conviction overturned on appeal. The State of Texas then appealed that ruling all the way to the Supreme Court. In his case, Texas v. Johnson, a five justice majority held that Johnson’s act of flag burning was protected speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
The RCYB no longer exists. Young supporters of Bob Avakian now join Revolution Clubs.
Famous quotes containing the words communist, youth and/or brigade:
“I am a communist because I believe that the Communist idea is a state form of Christianity.”
—Alexander Zhuravlyov (b. 1924)
“Could beauty be beaten out,
O youth the cities have sent
to strike at each other’s strength,
it is you who have kept her alight.”
—Hilda Doolittle (1886–1961)
“[John] Brough’s majority is “glorious to behold.” It is worth a big victory in the field. It is decisive as to the disposition of the people to prosecute the war to the end. My regiment and brigade were both unanimous for Brough [the Union party candidate for governor of Ohio].”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)