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

Puerto Rico: Oscar Collazo (2 of 3) Puerto Rico: Oscar Collazo (2 of 3)
Date: 11/7/1977Call Number: PM 136AFormat: Cass AProducers: Jonah RaskinCollection: Puerto Rico
Discusses Nationalist Party’s position on Korean War and Vietnam. Discusses Congress Act, those sent to prison, and his own trial. Discusses goals of Nationalist Party as Independence & Socialism. Discusses Socialism, Communism, Anarchism’s place within the independence movement. Discusses question of tactics and use of violent struggle within the independence struggle -- a question, he says, which had divided/destroyed the Party before he arrived in NYC in 1940. Mentions Party’s interaction with Congressman Mark Antonio. Describes briefly Don Pedro Albizu Campus’ & Benardo Diaz’ last years before their deaths. Describes his own life in prison. Mentions that the Civil Rights Movement had an impact on him and mentions the fallacies of the Freedom of Information Act.
Kent State: 1977 Kent State: 1977
Date: 7/10/1977Call Number: KP 163AFormat: Cass ACollection: Anti-War
Attempts by the May 4th Coalition to prevent the construction of a gymnasium at Kent State on the site of the May 4, 1970 shooting of four anti war protesters by the National Guard are discussed. The focus is on this coalition’s encampment created on the proposed construction site. Includes interviews with various activists in this camp and recordings of their eviction.
PFOC--Press Conference (Prairie Fire) PFOC--Press Conference (Prairie Fire)
Date: 11/21/1977Call Number: PM 259AFormat: Cass ACollection: LA Five
In response to the recent arrests of five revolutionaries in Houston and LA, the PFOC held a press conference in defense of their main captured member Clayton Van Lidograph. In the statement, the Prairie Fire Organizing Committee explains their main objectives of solidarity with oppressed women, Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, and exploited third world cultures. By any means of revolution, the PFOC will fight against the imperialist government. Just like the unfair legal charges put upon past radicals, their PFOC member and others were arrested and were being charged of terrorism and conspiracy. They explain that these charges are frame-ups and the true terrorists are the government, KKK, and other extreme right-wing organizations. In the media, the PFOC were originally grouped with the Weather Underground. However, this organization does not side with the Weather Underground and their politics. After the statement, reporters badger them with somewhat unanswerable questions.
Emily Harris Emily Harris
Date: 12/8/1977Call Number: PM 261AFormat: Cass ACollection: Prisons - Women
Political prisoner Emily Harris reads her statement involving her oppression in the California Institution for Women. In attempt to bring change, the only tool she has left is her own body. In result of the injustices, she went on a hunger strike. In recent history, the jail has conducted appalling medical practices on their female inmates. In result of a hunger strike horrendous medical practices were conducted on Emily Harris with no hesitation. On November 29, the doctors forcefully shoved a feeding tube down her throat. Recent studies have shown that that this could make a person choke to death or puncture the esophagus. The proper way is to feed intravenously. After this dreadful experience she was sent to court in a very sick condition. Eventually, the authorities noticed the actions and fed her intravenously. After this experience, she continued to struggle for basic human rights.