American Agitators

AMERICAN AGITATORS explores the remarkable life of Fred Ross, Sr., and a legacy of organizing that thrives today. Born in 1910 and raised in Los Angeles, Ross led a groundbreaking organizing approach that improved the lives of thousands. Beginning in the 1930s, Ross organized Dust Bowl refugees and during WWII he helped Japanese Americans find jobs and housing after release from the internment camps. After the War, in the face of KKK activity, he organized civil unity leagues in California by mentoring Mexican Americans and African Americans to build their voting power to challenge segregation in schools, which led to a successful integration of local school boards across California’s Citrus Belt.

Perhaps the most dramatic outcome of his early work occurred when Mexican American parents sued the Orange County school districts and prevailed in the Mendez vs Westminster case, laying the foundation for the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown vs Board of Education. In the 1950s, 60s and 70s he worked with legendary organizer Dolores Huerta and the United Farmworkers Union. Generations of organizers and activists, many who are featured in AMERICAN AGITATORS, stand on the shoulders of Ross and his innovative organizing tactics that cross sectors and issue areas.

AMERICAN AGITATORS takes us to Atlanta Georgia where today “Fight For 15” organizers fight for an increase in minimum wage and the unionization of workers across the Southern states. In Oakland, California in 2023, teachers, families and community members joined forces to forge a fair contract with the Oakland School District guided by the same principles of community organizing and getting out the vote pioneered by Fred Ross Sr. and set into motion by his son, Fred Ross Jr.

Throughout his life Fred Ross dedicated his life to organizing and mobilizing people to challenge police brutality, fight segregation, and organize voter registration and voter turnout campaigns. He channeled anger and frustration into building member-led movements to change institutions and policies to improve the lives of ordinary people. He worked from the understanding that while protests can draw attention to create sustainable change, persistence and organization are required to build power and give people a voice in the decisions that shape their living and working conditions. AMERICAN AGITATORS, tells a story of how today, collective action can combat racism, bigotry, and injustice and help move our nation towards a true democracy.