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 We are also in the process of scanning and uploading thousands of historical documents which enrich our media holdings.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.

Gender and Sexuality

This collection contains materials from a number of sources focusing on gender and sexuality. The struggles described in these materials are not necessarily separate from larger struggles for liberation but specifically incorporate women's unique voices and perspectives.

Based on the intersectional nature of this collection, it is difficult to condense its contents into one or two major themes. 

A strength of the collection is that it contains comprehensive archival materials from the San Francisco based grassroots, feminist, anti-imperialist solidarity organization Women Against Imperialism. This includes multiple boxes containing Organizational Records; Actions and Special Projects; Photographs; Cultural Resistance; and Political Organizations and Subject Files. The Gender and Sexuality collection also contains the complete raw materials from the documentary "The Forest for the Trees" which details the amazing story of the fight to clear Earth First! activist Judi Bari's name after her car was bombed and she was arrested as a terrorist. 

Another major focus on this collection is the experience of women in prison. Within this parent collection, the sub-collection Out of Control (Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners) highlights lesbian women's voices within the larger prison movement.  Additional materials regarding women in prison can be found in the “Prison - Women” collection.

In addition to focusing on specific organizations, this collection contains dozens of periodicals which highlight important issues within the women's, queer, and LGBTQ movement. Furthermore, the audio collection of Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms contains over 200 recordings focusing on women's perspectives about topics such as political prisoners, national liberation struggles, especially in Central America, and health care. Finally, there are sub-collections which coalesce around more specific topics such as materials focusing on violence against women and sterilization. 

Subcollections

  • Connexions
    Connexions
    Connexions is the collective product of feminists of diverse nationalities and political perspectives committed to contributing to an international women's movement.
  • Gay Liberation Movement/LGBTQ Community
    Gay Liberation Movement/LGBTQ Community
    The Gay Liberation/LGBTQ Community collection contains articles, magazines, pamphlets,and periodicals from the late 1970s to the early 1990s.
  • Feminism and Women’s Liberation
    Feminism and Women’s Liberation
    This collection contains materials diverse in medium and subject matter, focusing on radical feminist and lesbian politics. The collection contextualizes women's liberation highlighting issues of class, race, sexuality, and imperialism.
  • Materials shot and collected in the making of The Forest for the Trees
    Materials shot and collected in the making of The Forest for the Trees
    Raw materials from the documentary "The Forest for the Trees" which details the amazing story of the fight to clear Earth First! activist Judi Bari's name after her car was bombed and she was arrested as a terrorist.
  • Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
    Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
    Out of Control (OOC) was a self-supporting committee formed in 1987 to organize resistance to the Lexington Control Unit for women.
  • Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
    This collection contains grassroots radio programming produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms. This programming primarily occurred during the 1980s and 1990s.
  • Forced Sterilization
    Forced Sterilization
    This collection contains materials focusing on the sterilization of women and efforts to resist this practice.
  • Sue Supriano Interviews and Programs
    Sue Supriano Interviews and Programs
    This collection features interviews conducted by Sue Supriano during the 1980s for KPFA and Pacifica Radio.
  • Women Resisting Violence
    Women Resisting Violence
    This collection contains materials focusing on violence against women. Specific topics covered include women who fight back against their abusers, rape, pornography, sexism and self-defense.
  • Women Against Imperialism
    Women Against Imperialism
    Women Against Imperialism was a grassroots, feminist, anti-imperialist solidarity organization formed in San Francisco in 1981. Women Against Imperialism’s work primarily consisted of direct action organizing and political education activities.
  • Sex Work Selections
    This collection contains resources used in the Sex Work Curriculum.

Documents

Out of Control Lesbian Committee Out of Control Lesbian Committee
Date: 8/28/1995Call Number: PM 317Format: Cass A & BProducers: Prison Activist Resource CenterProgram: On the OutsideCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
Rita Brown and Jane Segal discuss the Out of Control Lesbian Committee to Support Women Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War. They organize to support women political prisoners, publish a newsletter and are organizing a grassroots movement. The interview includes a discussion of their lives as political activists.
Educational Pamphlet Educational Pamphlet
Publisher: Sparks Fly Committee, Out oF Control - Lesbian Committee to Support Women Political PrisonersFormat: FlyerCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
Educational flyer.
Sparks Fly 13 Flier Sparks Fly 13 Flier
Publisher: Sparks Fly 13 Committee; Out of Control; National Lawyers Guild Bay Area ChapterFormat: FlyerCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
Flyer for Sparks Fly 13 2/28
Sparks Fly 13 card Sparks Fly 13 card
Publisher: Out of ControlYear: 2004Format: FlyerCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
cardstock advertisement for Sparks Fly 13 2/28/2004
Sparks Fly 12 card Sparks Fly 12 card
Publisher: Out of ControlYear: 2002Format: FlyerCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
cardstock advertisement for Sparks Fly 12 11/17/2002
Sparks Fly 12 Flier Sparks Fly 12 Flier
Publisher: Out of Control; Sparks Fly 11 Committee, Comité Por Un Puerto Rico Libre, Lesbian and Gay Insurrection, Women's Building of San FranciscoYear: 2002Format: FlyerCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
Flyer for Sparks Fly 12 11/17/2002
Sparks Fly 11 flier Sparks Fly 11 flier
Publisher: Out of Control; Sparks Fly 11 Committee, Comité Por Un Puerto Rico Libre, Lesbian and Gay Insurrection, Women's Building of San FranciscoYear: 2000Format: FlyerCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
Flyer for Sparks Fly 11 11/4/2000. virtual holdings only.
Sparks Fly 11 card Sparks Fly 11 card
Publisher: Out of ControlYear: 2000Format: FlyerCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
cardstock advertisement for Sparks Fly 11 11/4/2000
Sparks Fly 10 small flier Sparks Fly 10 small flier
Publisher: Sparks Fly Committee, Out oF Control - Lesbian Committee to Support Women Political PrisonersYear: 1999Format: FlyerCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
Flyer for Sparks Fly X 12/11/1999. Virtual holdings only.
Sparks Fly 10 large flier Sparks Fly 10 large flier
Publisher: Sparks Fly Committee, Out oF Control - Lesbian Committee to Support Women Political PrisonersYear: 1999Format: FlyerCollection: Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
Flyer for Sparks Fly X 12/11/1999. Virtual holdings only.