Search Help

How does this work?
There are many ways to search the collections of the Freedom Archives. Below is a brief guide that will help you conduct effective searches. Note, anytime you search for anything in the Freedom Archives, the first results that appear will be our digitized items. Information for items that have yet to be scanned or yet to be digitized can still be viewed, but only by clicking on the show link that will display the hidden (non-digitized) items. If you are interested in accessing these non-digitized materials, please email info@freedomarchives.org.
Exploring the Collections without the Search Bar
Under the heading Browse By Collection, you’ll notice most of the Freedom Archives’ major collections. These collections have an image as well as a short description of what you’ll find in that collection. Click on that image to instantly explore that specific collection.
Basic Searching
You can always type what you’re looking for into the search bar. Certain searches may generate hundreds of results, so sometimes it will help to use quotation marks to help narrow down your results. For instance, searching for the phrase Black Liberation will generate all of our holdings that contain the words Black and Liberation, while searching for “Black Liberation” (in quotation marks) will only generate our records that have those two words next to each other.
Advanced Searching
The Freedom Archives search site also understands Boolean search logic, specifcally AND/+, NOT/-, and OR operators. Click on this link for a brief tutorial on how to use Boolean search logic. Our search function also understands “fuzzy searches.” Fuzzy searches utilize the (*) and will find matches even when users misspell words or enter in only partial words for the search. For example, searching for liber* will produce results for liberation/liberate/liberates/etc.
Keyword Searches
You’ll notice that under the heading KEYWORDS, there are a number of words, phrases or names that describe content. Sometimes these are also called “tags.” Clicking on these words is essentially the same as conducting a basic search.
Welcome to the Freedom Archives' Digital Search Engine.The Freedom Archives contains over 12,000 hours of audio and video recordings which date from the late-1960s to the mid-90s and chronicle the progressive history of the Bay Area, the United States, and international movements. We are also in the process of scanning and uploading thousands of historical documents which enrich our media holdings. Our collection includes weekly news, poetry, music programs; in-depth interviews and reports on social and cultural issues; numerous voices from behind prison walls; diverse activists; and pamphlets, journals and other materials from many radical organizations and movements.

Freedom is a Constant Struggle

The Freedom Is A Constant Struggle collection comprises weekly radio programs summarizing international, national, and local struggles on many fronts, interspersed with poetry and music. The program was produced from February 1976 to August 1995. Producers during the early years of the collection were Barbara Lubinski, Heber Dreher, Emiliano Echeverria,and Lincoln Bergman, later joined by Nina Serrano and Kiilu Nyasha. Among emphases in this collection are South African, Central American, and Native American struggles; the prison movement and political prisoners; coverage of actions and events such as the fight for the International Hotel (I-Hotel) and Wounded Knee; gay and lesbian liberation; the fight against poverty; and police repression. Additional highlights include features on cultural work such as latino/a and revolutionary poetry, a special series on Paul Robeson, Langston Hughes (Hughes and Blues) and Pete Seeger. There were also subtitles used for ongoing series, such as a talk show on the first Saturday of the month presented by Heber Dreher entitled “Frank Talk,”  and a music program “In the Midst of Struggle,” produced by Emiliano Echeverria on the last Saturday of the month.

Documents

Archives of Freedom - 1 Archives of Freedom - 1
Date: 3/15/1986Call Number: FI 069Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Lincoln Bergman, Emiliano Echeverria, Claude MarksProgram: Freedom Is A Constant StruggleCollection: Freedom is a Constant Struggle
This was a rebroadcast of a show that took place in September 1971, features a report on the death of Richard Oakes, Native American leader at Alcatraz.
Limericks and Songs of War, Peace, and the Middle East Limericks and Songs of War, Peace, and the Middle East
Date: 9/29/1990Call Number: FI 019Format: Cass A & BProducers: Lincoln BergmanProgram: Freedom Is A Constant StruggleCollection: Freedom is a Constant Struggle
Poems and music such as "Blues for Palestine" "What's Going On?" and "Fragile." Speks against US involvement in the Middle East and the blind faith and ignorance of Americans as to the real issues surrounding it. Features performer, Owen Davis, "conga drums for social change" in an autobiographical call for massive social change at home and abroad.
The Pete Seeger Show - 1 The Pete Seeger Show - 1
Date: 1/10/1987Call Number: FI 200Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Lincoln Bergman, Emiliano EcheverriaProgram: Freedom Is A Constant StruggleCollection: Freedom is a Constant Struggle
Initial program in a series on Pete Seeger, mostly his songs from many eras, with commentary, both cultural and political.
The Pete Seeger Show - 6 The Pete Seeger Show - 6
Date: 5/9/1987Call Number: FI 204Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Lincoln Bergman, Emiliano EcheverriaProgram: Freedom Is A Constant StruggleCollection: Freedom is a Constant Struggle
Opens with excellent spoken commentary by Seeger on Central America and Latin America. Program is dedicated to the memory of Ben Linder, US solidarity activist murdered in Nicaragua.
KFPA Freedom is a Constant Struggle Dec. 1990 KFPA Freedom is a Constant Struggle Dec. 1990
Publisher: KPFADate: 12/1990Call Number: Format: TranscriptCollection: Freedom is a Constant Struggle
Heber interviews former Black Panther Party member Landon Williiams. The interview focuses on political imprisonment in the United States and on the New York 3 specifically.
Meridel LeSueur Birthday Meridel LeSueur Birthday
Date: 3/1990Call Number: FI 314Format: Cass AProducers: Lincoln BergmanProgram: Freedom Is A Constant StruggleCollection: Freedom is a Constant Struggle
Tribute to Meridel LeSueur, people's/women's/children's writer from Minnesota. Includes brief radio interview from Minnesota about her children's books, then a report on her big 90th birthday celebration in February 1990, and songs by Holly Near, Ronnie Gilbert (There Was Music In My Mother's House) and Barbara Tilsen. The latter is a powerful anti-war poem by Irene Paull a close friend of Meridel's, set to music by Barbara Tilsen. Then a song sung by Wilbur Broms, The Minstrel Boy..
Fourth of July Special 1992 Fourth of July Special 1992
Date: 7/4/1992Call Number: FI 299Format: CassetteProducers: Lincoln Bergman, Barbara Lubinski, Emiliano Echeverria, Nina Serrano, Kiilu NyashaProgram: Freedom Is A Constant StruggleCollection: Freedom is a Constant Struggle
Poetic summary of US history of oppression and resistance, including Ossie Davis's performing Frederick Douglass' oration (What To an American Slave is your 4th of July?) Sojourner Truth's Ain't I A Woman, and Nina Serrano's poem on McCarthyism and Lolita Lebron. Program features many of the voices of program's producers. Heber Dreher talk show at end.
December 29, 1979 Program Script December 29, 1979 Program Script
Date: 12/29/1979Call Number: Format: ScriptProgram: Freedom Is A Constant StruggleCollection: Freedom is a Constant Struggle
Script for the December 29, 1979 program of Freedom is a Constant Struggle. A reflection on the events, movements, and figures from the last decade.