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

Maya Angelou reads "Harriet Tubman" Maya Angelou reads "Harriet Tubman"
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesCollection: Black Liberation
Excerpt of Maya Angelou reading "Harriet Tubman" by Margaret Walker at at 1972 benefit for Angela Davis.
Leonard Peltier - What Warriors Do Leonard Peltier - What Warriors Do
Collection: Leonard Peltier
Political Prisoner Leonard Peltier discusses the responsibility of a warrior.
Lolita Lebron Lolita Lebron
Collection: Puerto Rico
Lolita Lebron on Puerto Rican independence speaks in San Francisco, date unknown. Subjects include abortion, forced sterlization of Puerto Rican women, and genocide. Draws from her own experience as a political prisoner and discusses their feelings of abandonment, isolation and obscurity. Makes parallels between Vietnam's victory over the US (in which the American people were complicit) and Puerto Rico's own liberation.
Ruchell Magee Ruchell Magee
Producers: Mark SchwartzCollection: Ruchell Magee
Ruchell Magee, sole survivor of the Marin Couthouse rebellion. he based his defense on the right to rebel, from the court decision on the Amistad slave ship, since made famous by the Spielberg film. Ruchell Magee remains in prison. This excerpt is from many prison related reports by Mark Schwartz.
Prison to COINTELPRO Prison to COINTELPRO
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesCollection: Geronimo Pratt
Geronimo Ji Jaga speaks on the political aspects of his imprisonment and provides historical context to his situation.
Why i was a target Why i was a target
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesProgram: COINTELPRO 101Collection: Geronimo Pratt
Geronimo Ji Jaga Pratt discusses why he was targeted by the COINELPRO program.
Waiting Waiting
Author: Mumia Abu-JamalPublisher: Freedom ArchivesCollection: La Lucha Continua: a talking mural in San Francisco
Mumia Abu-Jamal on the intense isolation and sense of waiting on death row.
George Jackson: 30 years later George Jackson: 30 years later
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesProgram: Prisons on FireCollection: Freedom Archives Productions
30 Years After the Murder of George Jackson: A 29-minute documentary about the origins of the modern anti-prison movement Master Mix for Prisons on Fire CD August 21st, 2001 marked the 30th anniversary of the murder of George Jackson in San Quentin prison. Through his writings and leadership inside, George Jackson embodies the legacy of the prison movement. Who was George Jackson? Why was he targeted by the prison administration? What makes him important to the anti-prison movement today? Featuring historical materials, including George Jackson, from the Freedom Archives. Other voices include: Angela Davis, UC Santa Cruz professor, who supported George & Jonathan Jackson David Hilliard, former Black Panther Party leader Ruchell Magee, prison activist and leader, still in prison for his political activities Georgia Jackson, mother of George and Jonathan Jackson Harry Belafonte, performer and human rights activist James Baldwin, outspoken writer and social activist David Johnson, Hugo Pinell, Luis Talamantez and Sundiata Tate, all charged with the San Quentin rebellion following the murder of George Jackson Narrated by Jonathan Jackson, Jr. Knowing what happened in the early 1970s prison movement is essential for youth, communities of color and progressives to effectively confront today's unprecedented prison growth. We bring you this history through the voices of the people who were there - taking young people back to a time that, in today's context, seems unimaginable.