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

Interviews on Gay and Lesbian Rights legislation Interviews on Gay and Lesbian Rights legislation
Date: 1/1/1991Call Number: PM 086BFormat: Cass BProgram: pre-story interviewsCollection: Political Prisoner Periodicals
Over the phone interview with a man from Concord with the last name Whitsell. Mr. Whitsell became involved with the Human Relations Commission of Concord, CA after Timothy Lee, a young gay black man, was found hung in the Concord BART in 1987. He discusses the Commission, failed the AIDS ordinance, and successful Gay and Lesbian Rights ordinance. There is another interview with a gay student from Clark Kerr College on the verbal assault he faced from the football team and the harassment other students in the gay community faced.
Activism inside and outside of prison Activism inside and outside of prison
Date: 2/7/1992Call Number: PM 183Format: Cass A & BProducers: The Prison Radio ProjectProgram: You can’t jail the spiritCollection: Political Prisoner Periodicals
Last part of a 13 series program on prisons in the United States. The series explores the lives and experiences of political prisoners, POWs, and incarcerated activists. Prisons today, it argues, are the government’s response to societal problems such as unemployment, poverty, homelessness, and immigration. In this tape in particular Jude Tilman talks to different activists: Thelma Clark, Judy Greenspan, Muhjah Shakir, and Michael Snedecker.
Disabled Prisoners and the Prison Industrial Complex Disabled Prisoners and the Prison Industrial Complex
Call Number: PM 293Format: Cass A & BProducers: PARCCollection: Political Prisoner Periodicals
This is a panel discussion at a Critical Resistance conference dedicated to presenting cases and experiences of, as well as discrimination against, people with disabilities in the prison industrial complex. The panel is moderated by Janine Bertram. Jean Stewart of the Disabled Prisoners Justice Fund speaks about people with disabilities are denied necessary care and how the conditions of prisoners actually exacerbate and incur disabilities, especially mental ones. In addition, she emphasizes how disabled prisoners are not a fringe minority but make up a substantial portion (40-70% projected) of the prison population. Former prisoner and codirector of New Brighter Day Drug Ministry Beverly Johnson speaks about the experiences and marginalization of HIV-positive prisoners and their fight for class action law suits with other disbaled prisoners. Sara Norman, a staff lawyer at the Prison Law Office, presents an overview of laws that are tools for disabled prisoners such as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, section 504 and the American Disabilities Act.
Interview with Ezra Davis Interview with Ezra Davis
Date: 1/1/1996Call Number: PM 298 AFormat: Cass ACollection: Political Prisoner Periodicals
Ezra Davis speaks about his experiences as an inmate with HIV/AIDS and general conditions at CMF Vacaville for inmates with medical conditions.
AIDS in Focus AIDS in Focus
Call Number: PM 321AFormat: Cass AProducers: Mike AlcalayProgram: AIDs in FocusCollection: Political Prisoner Periodicals
Mike Alcalay discusses the AIDS epidemic in America. Rebecca Ward then describes how helpful Family Link is to families of AIDS patients. Later, Heidi Zamok reveals the contradictory information Americans receive about the transmission of AIDS. Lastly, Judy Gerber reports on the lack of medical attention and inhumane conditions provided to prisoners in California with AIDS.
Ezra Davis - You Can't Jail the Spirit: Brainstorm Ezra Davis - You Can't Jail the Spirit: Brainstorm
Call Number: PM 338Format: Cass A & BProducers: KPFAProgram: Political PrisonersCollection: Political Prisoner Periodicals
Prisoner Ezra Davis in the California Medical Facility at Vacaville discusses conditions. Also the first of 13 episodes of Brainstorm from "You Can't Jail the Spirit."