Fred Ross

Fred Ross Sr. (1910 – 1992) was an American community organizer. He founded the Community Service Organization (CSO) in 1948, which, with the support of the Industrial Areas Foundation, organized Mexican Americans in California. The CSO in San Jose, CA gave a young Cesar Chavez his first training in organizing, which he would later use in founding the United Farm Workers. Ross also trained the young Dolores Huerta in community organizing.

Along with Edward Roybal, Antonio Rios and other Mexican-Americans, Ross formed the CSO in East Los Angeles; Roybal became its first President. This chapter of the CSO became politically active and helped to elect Roybal to the City Council of Los Angeles in 1949, the first Mexican-American to serve as such since the 19th century.

Background Fred Ross Sr. was born in San Francisco in 1910 and was raised in Los Angeles in the Echo Park area. He earned a general secondary teaching credential from the University of Southern California in 1936. However, because of the Great Depression, he could not find employment. In 1937, Ross received a position with the state relief administration doing social work. After quitting his caseworker job, Ross worked for the Farm Security Administration, which was in charge of relief programs in the Coachella Valley.

Experience in organizing In John Steinbeck's famous novel The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck describes the journey and tribulations of the Joad family, a group of migrants looking for work in California. He describes a migrant labor camp that was based on a real camp in Arvin. Fred Ross Sr. was placed in charge of this camp shortly after Steinbeck left the area. Ross was later promoted to cover about 25 camps similar to this one all over California and Arizona. In the camps, Ross saw the poverty and poor working conditions experienced by the workers. He found in his heart the desire to organize, and he did so by earning the trust of the workers and beginning a form of self-government in the camp so that the workers could band together and fight to improve their conditions. He encouraged them to speak up and be heard, despite the fear of confrontation with power holders.

Campaign work Ross served as the deputy campaign manager of then-San Francisco mayor Dianne Feinstein's successful campaign to defeat her 1983 recall.

Personal life

Ross had three children, Robert, Julia, and Fred. Fred was named after his father.

Ross was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2014.