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. 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.

Search Results

Historical Evolution of the Black Power Movement - Kwame Toure Historical Evolution of the Black Power Movement - Kwame Toure
Date: 2/8/1989Call Number: KP 047Format: Cass A & BCollection: Black Power/Black Nation
Historical Evolution of the Black Power Movement - Kwame Toure
Kiilu Nyasha Interviews Akua Njeri (formerly Fred Hampton’s wife) Kiilu Nyasha Interviews Akua Njeri (formerly Fred Hampton’s wife)
Date: 10/1/1999Call Number: PM 159Format: Cass A & BProducers: Kiilu NyashaCollection: Fred Hampton
Kiilu Nyasha interviews Akua Njeri (former wife of Fred Hampton) about his murder in December of 1969.
Interview with Dhoruba Bin Wahad Interview with Dhoruba Bin Wahad
Date: 10/5/1999Call Number: PM 169Format: Cass A & BProducers: Claude MarksCollection: Dhoruba Bin Wahad
General statements by Dhoruba Bin Wahad while he visited San Francisco in 1999.
Protest at Soledad Protest at Soledad
Call Number: PM 190Format: Cass A & BProducers: Barbara LubinskiCollection: Soledad Brothers
Tape made by Barbara Lubinski of Soledad Prison protest and speeches. Middle of side 1 has interviews about prison administration reactions to prisoner requests for education and culture classes and subsequent treatment of prisoners and repressive prison conditions. Side 2 is an unidentified former political prisoner speaking in CA about organizing. Tape stops in the middle of Side 2.
Discussion with Dhoruba bin Wahad and Taniquil Discussion with Dhoruba bin Wahad and Taniquil
Date: 5/20/1990Call Number: PM 194Format: Cass A & BCollection: Dhoruba Bin Wahad
Discussion with Dhoruba bin Wahad and Taniquil at someone’s home addressing a group of progressive whites about multiracial formations and the state of race in the US. Two full sides, tape gets cut off at end of Side B.
Ruben Scott Interview Ruben Scott Interview
Date: 12/2/1975Call Number: PM 202Format: Cass A & BProducers: Claude MarksCollection: BLA
In this interview Scott discusses the circumstances of his arrest. Sep. 3rd, Scott was detained and beaten, charged with two counts of assault. Originally Scott was stopped for indecent exposure but never charged. Scott was charged with assault after defending himself from an unidentified officer whom had cocked his gun in Scotts face. Bail was set at $5000 and he was out on bond the next day. 8/25 Scoot was detained after being tailed since 7/3. Scott was arrested again, where he and a couple others were repeatedly beaten and questioned about a bank robbery as well as the where about of others.
Discussion of the role of self defense in African and African American liberation. Discussion of the role of self defense in African and African American liberation.
Call Number: AFR 045Format: Cass A & BProgram: The Question of African ManhoodCollection: Robert F. Williams!
Discussion on the role of self defense in African and African American liberation. Robert Harris, Elombe Brath, and Vicki praise Robert Williams’ work and courage to free the black people. Elombe Brath speaks about the “May 8th Case” in New York in which 8 people were arrested for not cooperating with the state. Robert Harris speaks the struggle for African liberation and comments on how the conditions currently are the same as what Robert Williams faced in 1961. He concludes by calling the people to use self - defense to struggle against the state as Robert Williams did. Elombe Brath celebrates the memory of Robert Williams. He talks about the Williams’ sacrifices and work toward liberation, and the support he received from both blacks and whites. He points out that the people need to be educated to get anywhere in life. Lastly, Robert Harris speaks about African Nationalism and his admiration of Robert Williams because he rose to the challenge to free the black people and fight the media. He contemplates the role and importance of self defense in the struggle for liberation.
Kwame Ture on the history of black student revolutionary organizations Kwame Ture on the history of black student revolutionary organizations
Date: 3/22/1994Call Number: AFR 051Format: Cass A & BProgram: Student Organizing from 1960 to 1994Collection: Kwame Ture
Kwame Ture speaks about the history of black student revolutionary protest organizations such as SNCC (Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee) and the BPP (Black Panther Party). He talks about the oppression of the capitalist system in disorganizing black organizations. He explains how Africans are used to having a hard life and constantly struggling for freedom. Struggle makes you stronger, and brings progress. Ture calls people to push black consciousness and to talk about both the oppressed and the oppressor, so as to avoid blaming the oppressed in the end. He also talks about how it is the capitalist system’s job to instill ideas of inferiority in African Americans, but he calls people to fight inferiority, and to increase their consciousness of African contributions to America. Ture talks about how Africa was the first continent to unite different countries under the OAU (Organization of African Unity). Lastly, he speaks about African’s high level of unity in action, but not in thought, because of the prevalence of ignorance of the value of organizing.
Kwame Ture on the knowledge of ones African culture as liberation. Kwame Ture on the knowledge of ones African culture as liberation.
Date: 3/22/1994Call Number: AFR 052Format: Cass A & BProgram: Student Organizing from 1960 to 1994Collection: Kwame Ture
Continuation of AFR 051 Kwame Ture speaks about racism as a question of power, and knowledge of culture as the liberation. He talks about how African culture is tolerant on many issues, but European culture is not. He states that you must first have an understanding of your own culture to have unity of thought. If you do not know your own culture, you take the culture of oppression.
The objectives of the Black Panther Party in the Vietnam War The objectives of the Black Panther Party in the Vietnam War
Date: 11/12/1969Call Number: KP 093Format: Cass A & BCollection: Black Panther Party general
Side A: Angela Davis, Raymond Masai Hewitt, Terrence Hallinan, and Charles Gary speak about the objectives of the Black Panther Party. They discuss the freeing of political prisoners, how the US constitution is not relevant for black people, and they call blacks to be more violent in order to make themselves known and to attain peace. Charles Gary relates Bobby Seale’s message for the people: that it is important for them to rally around the moratorium of the Vietnam war and the war in the ghettos. Side B begins with liberation music and songs. Charles Gary continues speaking on the peace movement. Angela Davis speaks about raising the level of awareness and consciousness. She speaks about using the same tactics as used in the Vietnam war in minority areas. Terrence Hallinan speaks about making demonstrations relevant to black people. He calls people to action against the struggle in Vietnam and at home.