HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?
Axioms for Organizers
AMERICAN AGITATORS is more than a documentary, it is a movement to inspire any and everyone to be an organizer in their community.
Key to the organizing lessons in the film is Axioms for Organizers, a concise and inspired treasure trove of tips for people committed to building organizations and movements for social justice.
The pocket-size book offers a portrait of Ross, Sr. and Jr, both influential grassroots organizers, and spells out their philosophy and guiding principles for organizers.
The essential Axioms for Organizers has been updated with Lessons from Fred Ross Jr. and are available for you and your organization along with a recommended donation of $4 per booklet to the American Agitators impact campaign with a 5 booklet mininum per order. You can make a donation HERE.
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Teaching Curriculum
Empowering Your Students To Be Civically Engaged
“A good organizer is a social arsonist who goes around setting people on fire.” - Fred Ross
This Documentary chronicles the life and legacy of Fred Ross Sr. and Fred Ross Jr. , labor and community organizers. Through their life and legacy, the film shines a light on the power of organizing to combat racism, bigotry, greed and injustice. The film highlights powerful social movements and provides insight into other organizer’s experiences, such as Dolores Huerta and so many others who followed in their footsteps. The curriculum is written in accordance with Common Core standards and are connected with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Help your students understand the inspirational life and legacy of Fred Ross with these zero-prep, ready-to-go activities, choosing the option that best fits your classroom situation and needs. Please note that any resources are in Microsoft Word to allow you that flexibility.
For Starters: Where to begin
Pedagogically, it is first important to consider where American Agitators fits in your middle or high school Social Studies, American History, U.S. Government, Civics, Human Rights, or English course. Here are some connections that might be a great starting point: A unit on…
The Great Depression and Dustbowl
World War II and Japanese Internment
The Progressive Era, Muckrakers, and/or the history of the Labor Movement
Citizenship and the importance of Civic Engagement
Contemporary Social Justice and Human Rights
If you only have one day: Show the Movie
Spending a class watching a shortened version of American Agitators provides a satisfying, engaging, and efficient way of inspiring your students to be civically engaged. Have your students read the short bio, short Power Point, viewing guide, and homework assignment that will allow them to make the connections you want them to make. The shortened video of the film is available here.
If you have a second day: Connect the material to the present
Help your students be civically engaged by connecting the sayings of Fred Ross to the issues of our time. Using Axioms for Organizers, the class will write down five sayings of Fred that they found inspirational. They will then apply those sayings to a list of contemporary issues of their choice that needs to be changed. You can make a good thing even better by having the students use Canva or a similar online creator to connect that saying of Fred to expose that issue.
As a next step, you might consider using Canva or another online flyer creator to have students connect a saying by Fred to an issue of their choice, citing an action that needs to happen to improve/rectify that problem.
If you have more time: Try these activities for additional enrichment…
Students can use American Agitators as a launching pad to connect with a local group in their area that is already doing some “Fred Ross” work on the issue. Modeled after a classic “Science Fair” model, you can have your classes have a “Kids Making a Difference Night” where they will create a trifold board that describes an issue that they have researched, a connection to a local organization that is tackling the problem, and what they have learned from volunteering 1-3 hours with that organization. Parents will love their enthusiasm, and that their child is civically engaged in an issue of their choice.
For AP or higher-level learners:
We recommend using this one-class Inquiry assignment that uses the life of Fred Ross to answer the question: “Can one person make a difference?
Other Important Questions and Answers (Click Below):
*How American Agitators meets the national Social Studies standards«
Purchasing options for schools, libraries, and organizations
Realizing the potential of documentary films to educate, inspire and compel audiences, fostering a more just and sustainable society, Video Project believes documentary films can shape minds and change lives. Recognized as one of the leading documentary film distributors to educational institutions in the United States, buyers look to the Video Project to curate and distribute cutting edge social interest documentaries that explore the most pressing issues facing society.
Let’s agitate together
Help ensure that AMERICAN AGITATORS is shown all over the country in homes, union halls, community centers, campuses, places of faith, and theaters. Contributions are tax-deductible and help to pay for the campaign to widely screen the film and create accompanying resources for the film’s lessons to be deeply understood and practiced.
For more information on Fred Ross, Sr. and Jr. please visit the Fred Ross Project.
