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

African Liberation music and poetry African Liberation music and poetry
Call Number: AFR 005AFormat: Cass ACollection: Africa- General Resources
Liberation music in African and African Jazz styles, all the songs have a political message. Issues raised are about Africans living under oppressive white rule, struggle for land and political power, and how oppressed people in countries like South Africa, Namibia, El Salvador, and Guatemala are being called to rise up against oppression and racism.
Speech by Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe to African Americans Speech by Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe to African Americans
Date: 8/23/1980Call Number: AFR 006BFormat: Cass BCollection: Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe gives a speech to African Americans living in Harlem, at a rally on Harlem Day, August 23, 1980. On the occasion of Zimbabwe’s admission to the United Nations, Mugabe thanks people for their support of Zimbabwe’s struggle for national independence and against colonial racist white rule. He celebrates the victory of the black man in Zimbabwe and the continued struggle for non-racialism and equality. He ends his speech with the hope that the victory of Zimbabwe will inspire the oppressed Africans in South Africa and Namibia.
Interview with Joyce Kangai of the ZANU (Zimbabwe African National Union) Women’s League Interview with Joyce Kangai of the ZANU (Zimbabwe African National Union) Women’s League
Date: 2/10/1980Call Number: AFR 007AFormat: Cass ACollection: Zimbabwe
A representative from the New York Material Aid Campaign for ZANU interviews Joyce Kangai, Publicity Secretary of the ZANU Women’s League. Kangai talks about how the Zimbabwean elections are being discredited and attacked by outside, imperialist forces such as Britain, Ian Smith of Rhodesia, Rhodesian armed forces, and South Africa. She states that these armed forces are all harrassing ZANU, attempting to forcibly keep the organization from the polls, and trying to eliminate democratic elections by claiming ZANU violated the ceasefire and by attacking ZANU leaders and supporters & their families, and homes. She also speaks about the increased participation of ZANU women in the struggle against the oppressors, the conditions of life for women under the whites and the goals and needs of the women of ZANU.
PAC Chairman  Nyati Pokela  interview (Pan Africanist Congress of South Africa) PAC Chairman Nyati Pokela interview (Pan Africanist Congress of South Africa)
Date: 11/13/1982Call Number: AFR 009AFormat: Cass AProgram: Songs of FreedomCollection: South Africa
Judy Jensen of the Material Aid Campaign for ZANU interviews the Chairman of South Africa’s PAC (Pan Africanist Congress). Nyati Pokela speaks about the history and purpose of the PAC and explains what Bantustans are and why they were created. He explains why the PAC and the ANC (African National Congress) deem it necessary to engage in armed struggle against the Apartheid government, and how the PAC’s leaders lead by example by taking risks for the cause. Pokelu details the role of women in the struggle and the conditions of the black population of South Africa, and explains the unequal development of different African countries toward independence. He talks about the similarities between the struggles in South Africa and the US, and calls for solidarity with the PAC and Africa’s cause.
Joyce Kangai of the ZANU (Zimbabwe African National Union) Women’s League Joyce Kangai of the ZANU (Zimbabwe African National Union) Women’s League
Date: 1/11/1980Call Number: AFR 010AFormat: Cass ACollection: Zimbabwe
Joyce Kangai of the ZANU (Zimbabwe African National Union) Women’s League speaks about the Zimbabwean people losing their land, outside forces imposing their power, and the oppressive nature of colonialism on language and culture. She calls the women to fight for liberation, and explains how they can be part of the struggle.
African American children living in America African American children living in America
Date: 1/23/1985Call Number: AFR 011Format: Cass A & BCollection: General materials
Radio news broadcast by Elombe Brath on the state of the American economy, inflation, capitalism, and growth. He suggests possible solutions to the economic problems. Another radio news broadcast about the situation of Black children in America. Elombe Brath talks about how African Americans need to protect and educate their children about racism in America.
Samouri Marksman on African and Caribbean People Samouri Marksman on African and Caribbean People
Date: 1/16/1985Call Number: AFR 012Format: Cass A & BProgram: African Activists in AmericaCollection: Africa- General Resources
Michael Warren, chairman of African Activists in America, speaks about Maurice Bishop, and introduces Samouri Marksman. Marksman speaks about struggles of African people around the world; how Europeans control Latin American economies, cultures, and societies, and the struggle for Latin American independence; the struggle to alter the slave relationship with Europeans in the Caribbean and Africa; criticizes the IMF (International Monetary Fund) ; and American politics in South Africa and the struggle against Apartheid.
Conference on liberation and reconstruction struggles in Southern Africa Conference on liberation and reconstruction struggles in Southern Africa
Call Number: AFR 035Format: Cass A & BCollection: African liberation movements
Continuation of AFR 034 See enclosed note in AFR 035 Conference on liberation and reconstruction struggles in Africa, particularly in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia. A representative of SWAPO (South West African People’s Organization) speaks about the international community being in solidarity with Southern African countries, and asks for support for SWAPO’s continued struggle for liberation in Namibia. A member of the Zimbabwe admission to the United Nations speaks about the bonds formed between liberation fighters in Africa and internationally. He speaks about the leaders of ZANU (Zimbabwe African National Union), the ANC (African National Congress), and the PAC (Pan African Congress). He speaks on the history of the struggles for independence and human rights in Southern Africa, and the contued struggle for liberation. Sylvia Baraldini of the May 19th Communist Organization speaks on the National Campaign in solidarity with the ZANU Women’s League. She talks about the lessons of the struggle for liberation in Zimbabwe and looks at the process of reconstruction. A permanent representative of the PAC of Azania to the United Nations speaks about South Africa. He comments on South African president P.W. Botha’s refusal to erode Apartheid through economic means. He talks about a socialist solution incorporating equal distribution of wealth and power, and calls people to work together to fight oppression.
Dr. Ivan Van Sertima on historical achievements and contributions made by Africans to the world Dr. Ivan Van Sertima on historical achievements and contributions made by Africans to the world
Call Number: AFR 039Format: Cass A & BProgram: WBAI African Liberation Day Special ProgramCollection: Africa- General Resources
An event celebrating the historical enlightenment and civilization of Africans throughout history. Dr. Ivan Van Sertima speaks on the extraordinary achievements of the Egyptians and the natives of Africa. He mentions that Africans still have cultural and ethnic heritage, and all Africans can’t simply be defined by the features of one small tribe because it perpetuates the myth of inferiority and irrelevance. He talks about African contributions to the world.
Adelaide Sanford on African values Adelaide Sanford on African values
Date: 3/3/1990Call Number: AFR 049Format: Cass A & BProgram: To Be African in Today’s America - Toward Liberation!Collection: Africa- General Resources
Adelaide Sanford speaks about how Africans in America have rid themselves of the chains of oppression. She talks about how ancestral strengths and power do not fit into American society, and thus causes harm to the black psyche. Sanford says Blacks built the American economy and society (for example, music, religion, and ideas) that Europeans took credit for and denegrated the blacks while enjoying all that the black contributed. She also speaks about education in American prisons as a myth of justice. In feeling anger towards racial discrimination from whites, it is ok to feel anger, it just depends on what you do with that anger. Whites want to see a reaction, but do not give them the satisfaction or predictability. Lastly, she calls people to not buy into white American values because the black person’s strength only comes from African value systems.