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

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.
Interview with Sekou Odinga Interview with Sekou Odinga
Black Liberation Army freedom fighter Sekou Odinga speaks on the politics behind his imprisonment at the Marion Lockdown.
 Free Herman Bell Free Herman Bell
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesFormat: Collection: Herman Bell
More than 2.4 million human beings are imprisoned in the US. This massive incarceration—overwhelmingly aimed at people of color and criminalizing youth—makes the US by far the greatest purveyor of punishment in the world. Among these millions are a number of political prisoners, and among these courageous sisters and brothers is Herman Bell. Herman Bell has been a political prisoner in the US for nearly 40 years. When national liberation and revolution rocked the world in the 1960s and 70s, Herman was active in the social justice movements of those times, particularly the Black Liberation movement and the Black Panther Party.
George Jackson - 41 year commemoration George Jackson - 41 year commemoration
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesProgram: Prisons on FireCollection: George Jackson
August 21st marks the 41st anniversary of the execution of George Lester Jackson. The Chicago- born Jackson would have celebrated his 71st birthday on September 23rd. Jackson was a prisoner who became an author, a member of the Black Panther Party, and co-founder of the Black Guerrilla Family prison organization. He achieved global fame as one of the Soledad Brothers before being executed by prison guards in San Quentin Prison. Based on an edited portion of Prisons on Fire by the Freedom Archives (2001) with video editing by Oriana Bolden.
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.
Nuh Washington – Call Me Nuh & Last Statement  Nuh Washington – Call Me Nuh & Last Statement
Publisher: Tiger TV; The Freedom ArchivesCollection: Freedom Archives Productions
Albert 'Nuh' Washington passed away April 28, 2000, at the Regional Medical Unit at Coxsackie Correctional Facility. Nuh (the Arabic form of Noah) was a committed member of the Black Panther Party and was arrested on August 28, 1971 in San Francisco. Call Me Nuh is based on an interview done with Nuh Washington in 1988 by Fiona Boneham and Paper Tiger TV and produced and edited by Lisa Rudman and Claude Marks in March, 2000. This was originally shown in Oakland, CA at a tribute to him on March 21, 2000, shortly before his passing. Nuh’s “last statement” was recorded for that same event. Each video runs 10 minutes.
Jalil Muntaqim – Voice of Liberation Jalil Muntaqim – Voice of Liberation
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesProducers: Eve Goldberg, Claude MarksCollection: Freedom Archives Productions
This 20-minute documentary was edited & produced in November 2002 by Eve Goldberg and Claude Marks, based on an interview done in August 2000 by John O'Reilly and Nina Dibner. Jalil Abdul Muntaqim (formerly Anthony Bottom) was 19 years old when he was arrested at the same time as Nuh Washington. He is a former member of the Black Panther Party and is one of the longest held political prisoners in the world. This documentary is a unique opportunity to visit and hear Jalil's story.
David Gilbert – A Lifetime of Struggle David Gilbert – A Lifetime of Struggle
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesProducers: Lisa Rudman, Claude MarksCollection: Freedom Archives Productions
This 30-minute video was edited in March 2002 by Claude Marks and Lisa Rudman, and is based on an interview done in July of 1998 at Great Meadows Prison, Comstock, New York by Sam Green and Bill Siegel. Camera: Federico Salsano. This is a rare opportunity to go behind prison walls for a discussion with David Gilbert, a lifelong anti-imperialist activist and former member of the Weather Underground Organization. David is now serving a life sentence in prison for activities in support of the Black Liberation Movement. He explains why he joined the movement, what led him to go underground, and frankly discusses the strengths and errors of the movement and the WUO.
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.
Alberto Rodriguez Parole Alberto Rodriguez Parole
Poster in protest of the imprisonment of Alberto Rodriguez and other Puerto Rican Prisoners of War