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

War Without Terms: California Prisons War Without Terms: California Prisons
Call Number: JG/ 015Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Judy GerberCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Chronology is scripted and read, woman narrator, good historical information just not a lot of primary voices. Title: "War Without Terms"
The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer
Date: 1/5/1979Call Number: KP 018Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProgram: Life of Fannie Lou HamerCollection: Voices from the South
This recording focuses on Fannie Lou Hamer, known as the lady who was "sick and tired of being sick and tired." This is a tribute to her life and work with Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and the struggls she engaged in throughout her life.
Angela Davis Benefit Angela Davis Benefit
Date: 2/25/1972Call Number: PM 003Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsCollection: Angela Davis
Franklin Alexander, head of Angela Defense. Introduced by Maya Angelou who then does some poems, Harlem Hopscotch, Times Square Shoe Shine Composition, great one on Harriet Tubman/and For My People by Margaret Walker.
Statements by James Baldwin, Jean Genet, Philippe Sollers Statements by James Baldwin, Jean Genet, Philippe Sollers
Date: 1/1/1971Call Number: PM 060Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProgram: French film companyCollection: George Jackson
Statements after the murder of George Jackson in French and English. Baldwin is stunning!
Huey P. Newton interview Huey P. Newton interview
Date: 8/1/1971Call Number: PM 065Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Grenada TVProgram: raw sound for Panther movieCollection: Huey Newton
Newton discusses Vietnam and international solidarity and the significance of George Jackson’s murder. Raw, unedited footage.
San Quentin Interviews (Part 1 of 2) San Quentin Interviews (Part 1 of 2)
Date: 8/6/1971Call Number: PM 082Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Grenada TVProgram: Raw San Quentin Collection: Black Panther Party general
Unidentified Black Panther Party members discuss the formation of Black Panther Party branch in San Quentin, art for sale, the underground prison economy, and the “special” treatment they received as Panthers from guards including censorship and threats for shaking hands with George Jackson. This is raw unedited footage.
Herman Bell Out-takes Herman Bell Out-takes
Date: 9/16/1974Call Number: PM 078Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Claude MarksCollection: Herman Bell
Herman Bell talks about Gerald Ford’s appointment and the double standard for justice in the US. Discusses the dehumanization and demasculinization of prisoners and alienation from work. Compares the experiences of native people during colonization to redevelopment of communities in cities at present. Discusses the process of moving people toward consciousness and the US Health Department’s pattern of genocide throughout history.
Interviews with Herman Bell Interviews with Herman Bell
Date: 9/16/1974Call Number: PM 162Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: KPFACollection: Herman Bell
Compilation of interview clips with Herman Bell. Among the topics discussed are Bell’s bank robbery conviction in San Francisco, the history of black rebellions in America, and methods of encouraging people to organize and participate in revolutionary change. There are frequent references to the Black Liberation Army, Black Liberation Army, SLA, Symbionese Liberation Army, and the Weather Underground. Prison conditions and police harassment are also brought up.
Interview with Herman Bell Interview with Herman Bell
Date: 6/21/1974Call Number: PM 164Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Claude MarksProgram: KPFACollection: Herman Bell
Black Panther Herman Bell talks openly about the criminal charges filed against him in New York and San Francisco. The discussion also ranges from examples of police corruption and the relationship between the police and the black community, to the need for “people’s” media outlets to compete with the ruling classes monopoly on information dissemination. Later in the tape Bell talks of the possibility of bringing the case of Human Rights abuses in the U.S. to the attention of the United Nations. And he ends with his analysis of what the differences are between a “real” revolutionary and a superficial one.
Herman Bell - Partial Out-takes Herman Bell - Partial Out-takes
Date: 6/13/1974Call Number: PM 080Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Claude MarksCollection: Herman Bell
Herman Bell talks about Marcus Foster’s assasination and CIA affiliation and the replication of South African aparteid in San Francisco. Discusses his arrest in New Orleans, the practices of intimidation and torture used by police in New Orleans, and the shooting of Twymon Myers in New York.