Ruben Salazar wasn’t what you might consider an average pioneer of the Chicano movement. He was solidly middle class, a man who spent the majority of his career as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times trying to avoid stories that had much to do with Mexican-Americans.

But, as Phillip Rodriguez shows in his new documentary "Ruben Salazar: Man in the Middle," Salazar had a change in political consciousness that put him at the forefront of the burgeoning Chicano Movement. On August 29, 1970, Salazar was shot and killed by the LAPD while covering the Chicano Moratorium, and his death became a catalyst for even more activism. 

Rodrieguez’s documentary will premiere on PBS on Tuesday, April 29 at 9pm. Check your local listings for details.