American Agitators(2026)

Name: American Agitators
Genre: Biography, Documentary, History
Released: May 1, 2026

1h 34m

Release Date: May 1, 2026 | Limited

Fred Ross Sr. spent decades doing the work that most people never see. Starting in the 1930s, he organized Dust Bowl refugees, helped Japanese Americans rebuild after internment, and built voting power for Black and Mexican American communities in the face of active Klan opposition. He trained Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. He helped win Mendez v. Westminster, a case that laid the ground for Brown v. Board of Education. This documentary traces his life and the organizers carrying his methods forward today. A film about how change actually happens, and who does the work to make it stick.

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Summaries

Plot Summary

American Agitators is a 2024 American documentary film directed and produced by Raymond Telles, whose previous credits include The Fight in the Fields. The film explores the life of Fred Ross Sr., born in 1910 in Los Angeles, who pioneered community organizing from the 1930s through the 1970s, working with Dust Bowl refugees, Japanese Americans returning from internment camps, and Black and Mexican American communities in California's Citrus Belt. The documentary is narrated by playwright and filmmaker Luis Valdez and features interviews with Dolores Huerta, Nancy Pelosi, Robert F. Kennedy Sr., Satsuki Ina, Dale Minami, Eliseo Medina, Jessica Govea, Herman Gallegos, and Ed Roybal, among others. The film also follows present-day organizers in Atlanta and Oakland working in the tradition Ross established. Co-produced by Olivia Heffernan and David Telles, with executive producers John Heffernan and Margo Feinberg. Cinematography is by Vicente Franco and Daniel Telles. Score by Mark Adler. The film won Best Documentary at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose. Abramorama acquired North American theatrical rights and opened the film at The Quad Cinema in New York City on May 1, 2026, with a US and Canada rollout to follow. The film runs 99 minutes. Core themes include collective action, racial justice, voting rights, labor, and the transmission of organizing knowledge across generations. The film is for audiences drawn to American political history and labor documentaries.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Fun Facts

American Agitators (2024) is a documentary directed by Raymond Telles that chronicles the life of activist Fred Ross Sr., who pioneered modern grassroots organizing techniques in the 20th century.