Bob Avakian is an American political activist and Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party, United States of America.
Background
Robert Bruce Avakian was born in Washington, District of Columbia, and grew up in Berkeley, California. His father, Spurgeon Avakian, was an Armenian American lawyer, civil rights activist, and judge on the Alameda County, California superior court.
Education
In 1968, he wrote articles for the Peace and Freedom Party"s publications and in July 1969, he attended the Black Panther conference in Oakland, California.
Career
As a young man, Bob Avakian became involved with the Students for a Democratic Society at Berkeley, the Free Speech Movement and the Black Panther Party. Although defeated for the top position by Mark Rudd of the faction soon known as Weatherman, Avakian was elected to the National Interim Committee. In the early 1970s, Avakian served time in jail for "desecrating the American flag" during a demonstration.
He was charged with assaulting a police officer in January 1979 at a demonstration in Washington District of Columbia to protest Deng Xiaoping"s meeting with Jimmy Carter.
After receiving an arrest warrant, Avakian "jumped bail" and fled to France. In 1980, he gave a speech to 200 protestors in downtown Oakland and his police assault charges were dropped a few years later.
He went on a speaking tour in 2000 and in 2005 published an autobiography called From Ike to Mao and Beyond: My Journey from Mainstream America to Revolutionary Communist. Avakian has been the Revolutionary Communist Party"s central committee chairman and national leader since 1979.
Avakian and his philosophy have been criticized by Mike Ely of the Kasama Project and Mark Oppenheimer of the Boston Globe.
Notable amongst the criticisms is that he and the Royal College of Physicians are often accused of creating a cult of personality around Avakian.
Membership
By the time that Study Direct Stream split into three factions in summer 1969, Avakian was a leading member of the Revolutionary Youth Movement II faction, and was their candidate for National Secretary. During that period, Avakian was a leading member of the Bay Area Revolutionary Union.