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

Black Panther Party Chairman Bobby Seale Speaks about the death of George Jackson Black Panther Party Chairman Bobby Seale Speaks about the death of George Jackson
Date: 8/22/1971Call Number: PM 138Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Pacifica Radio, KPFACollection: George Jackson
This the second half of two reels discussing the recent death of George Jackson. This historical interview with Bobby Seale gives his opinion about the last few moments of Jackson’s life, plans for Jackson’s funeral, the Black Panther Party “split”, and the development process the current Black Panther Party is taking to adjust to these changes, Discussion with radio callers takes place during most of the last half of this reel.
Black Liberation Army - Fact or Fantasy Black Liberation Army - Fact or Fantasy
Date: 1/1/1974Call Number: PM 165Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Ron Magee, Rest of the News, Claude Marks, Bruce Soloway, Mark SchwartzProgram: Rest of the NewsCollection: BLA
Interviews and discussion concerning the Black Liberation Army and it’s alleged members. The question is raised as to the actual existence of the group which some claim to be a fabrication of the media and police to justify increased repression of Black revolutionaries. Various criminal trials of black activists are looked at to reveal how the local Police, FBI, News Media, and U.S. Justice System have worked together to pursue a repressive course to combat what they see as a threat to the very structure of American Society. Interviews detail use of police violence and torture to intimidate and demoralize the black radical movement. The cases of the “New York Five”, Joanne Chesimard (Assata Shakur), and Fred Hilton are described, along with the killing of Fred Hampton and the imprisonment of Muhammad Arif and Victor Cumerbash. Black Liberation Army prisoners (Herman Bell and Gabriel Torres) are interviewed extensively. Family members speak to the violence and repression of the police at a press conference. The murder by police of Twyman Myers is extensively addressed.
KPFA News on the death of George Jackson KPFA News on the death of George Jackson
Call Number: PM 188Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsCollection: George Jackson
Reporter talking about the death of George Jackson in San Quentin. First breaking news story on KPFA.
Letter to Huey from Algiers Letter to Huey from Algiers
Author: Elsa Knight ThompsonPublisher: KPFADate: 3/11/1971Volume Number: March 11Format: CorrespondenceCollection: Huey Newton
Letter to Huey to accompany audio track of video released in NY previous week, from Algiers, inviting Newton to record his answer at KPFA.
Letter to Huey re: Research group Letter to Huey re: Research group
Author: Elsa Knight ThompsonPublisher: KPFAVolume Number: SeptFormat: CorrespondenceCollection: Huey Newton
Letter to Huey Newton re: Research group
Elsa Knight Thompson Letter in response to Cyrill Abels Elsa Knight Thompson Letter in response to Cyrill Abels
Author: Elsa Knight ThompsonPublisher: KPFADate: 3/24/1969Volume Number: 24-MarFormat: CorrespondenceCollection: Cleaver, Eldridge
Letter in response to Cyrill Abels re: Eldridge Cleaver having rights to talk he gave on KPFA re: Bobby Hutton shooting, and correspondence leading up to this KPFA clarification letter.