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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.
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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

Life of the Manong: Henry Hipolito in Portsmouth Square Life of the Manong: Henry Hipolito in Portsmouth Square
Date: 6/8/1977Call Number: IH 051Producers: Al RoblesCollection: The International Hotel struggle and the Filipino community
Manong Henry Hipolito talks with Al Robles about the old days in Manilatown. Henry speaks of the Manilatown area from Market to Broadway being the section symbolizing the common poor Filipino. Although the I-hotel area was run down during the interview (late 70s), it used to be a nice area bustling with streetcars and horse drawn wagons. When speaking of the area in the late 70s, the I-Hotel and its few old timers represent the last of Manilatown. Some of Henry's experiences of the old days were that there were no pinays in America till 1948 and local job discrimination forced him to travel to Alaska for seasonal fishing jobs. He reminisces about Pinoy town in Alaska and how he survived the depression. Ending the interview, Henry gives advice to new Filipino immigrants such as the importance of education, independence, poverty and discrimination reduction, and resist corruption.
Life of a Manilatown Manong: Mr. Pacifico, 1976. Life of a Manilatown Manong: Mr. Pacifico, 1976.
Call Number: IH 052Producers: Al RoblesCollection: The International Hotel struggle and the Filipino community
Mr. Pacifico begins explaining his experiences with America. Pacifico explains fraternal organizations that brought pinoys together. Helio Mucado a five star WWII general started one of the most popular groups. Being treated as a martyr, he started an organization that combined men from all islands and was similar to the free masons. Pacifico also describes how Spanish influence changed the Philippines by conflicted ideals and the raping of resources. As the locals got smart to the Spanish and fought back, US were there to claim the land unlawfully. Pacifico then explains America's presence as being a blessing and a curse. Pacifico then goes into describing the social hierarchy in Philippines vs. America. Differences of mestizos to peasants are not as present in the US. Pacifico speaks of the manong voice not being heard because of the money promised after WWII not being given. He then delves into his first encounters with the US. Pacifico ends with him explaining the old days back in the islands and how he is Marcos's 3rd cousin.
The Sugar Cain Manong: Rapping with 20,00 Carabaos in the Dark, Maurice Passion. The Sugar Cain Manong: Rapping with 20,00 Carabaos in the Dark, Maurice Passion.
Date: 5/10/1985Call Number: IH 053Producers: Al RoblesCollection: The International Hotel struggle and the Filipino community
Maurice Passion talks of many subjects that a usual Manilatown manong has gone through in his life. Maurice begins with telling Al Robles about how when he was young there were no Filipina women in San Francisco. Maurice explained his experience dating white women and how white men were suspicious of him and often threaten to beat him up. He further discusses the dynamics and dangers of inter-racial dating during that time. He also contrasts relationships in America with relationships in the Philippines. Maurice explains arranged marriages and trends of infidelity with Filipino men. Towards the end of the interview, Maurice describes vanishing Filipino businesses in Manilatown and the hardship after the eviction. Seven years after the eviction it is still a hole in the ground.
Life of a Manilatown Manong: Mr. Cortes, born 1886. Life of a Manilatown Manong: Mr. Cortes, born 1886.
Date: 8/20/1980Call Number: IH 054Producers: Al RoblesCollection: The International Hotel struggle and the Filipino community
Manong Cortes tells Al Robles how life in the Philippines was in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Manong Cortes grew up in an agricultural town in the Muncada area of Luzan. In a family of him and his parents, their income mainly came from selling water buffalo and small farming. Next Cortes explains different techniques in growing rice such as: planting time, seasons, cutting, and harvest times. While living in a nepa hut, they slept on floor mats (Banigs) with no electricity. Their kitchen had no metal just homemade clay stoves and pots. Cortes ends the interview with his memories of the Spanish-Philippine War and the Philippine-American war. Cortes explains that his family went into hiding during both wars. Looking for revolutionaries, Spanish and Americans alike killed many innocent people. The men of his family fought for independence by using knives, out of date rifles, and homemade bamboo muskets.
Ballads of Black America Ballads of Black America
Date: 1/1/1972Call Number: Vin 052Producers: Folkways Recordings, Frederick Douglass Kirkpatrick, Pete Seeger, Jeanne HumphriesCollection: General materials
A collection of songs from the Ballads of Black America project, which sought to educate children about black leaders in American history, including Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Paul Robeson. The project was started by Reverend Frederick Douglass Kirkpatrick, who also founded the Deacons For Defense and Justice during the civil rights movement. Accompanied by Pete Seeger and Jeanne Humphries. With extensive liner notes.