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

Black Liberation Army - Fact or Fantasy Black Liberation Army - Fact or Fantasy
Date: 1/1/1974Call Number: PM 165Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Ron Magee, Rest of the News, Claude Marks, Bruce Soloway, Mark SchwartzProgram: Rest of the NewsCollection: BLA
Interviews and discussion concerning the Black Liberation Army and it’s alleged members. The question is raised as to the actual existence of the group which some claim to be a fabrication of the media and police to justify increased repression of Black revolutionaries. Various criminal trials of black activists are looked at to reveal how the local Police, FBI, News Media, and U.S. Justice System have worked together to pursue a repressive course to combat what they see as a threat to the very structure of American Society. Interviews detail use of police violence and torture to intimidate and demoralize the black radical movement. The cases of the “New York Five”, Joanne Chesimard (Assata Shakur), and Fred Hilton are described, along with the killing of Fred Hampton and the imprisonment of Muhammad Arif and Victor Cumerbash. Black Liberation Army prisoners (Herman Bell and Gabriel Torres) are interviewed extensively. Family members speak to the violence and repression of the police at a press conference. The murder by police of Twyman Myers is extensively addressed.
Images from “Attica is All of Us” Images from “Attica is All of Us”
Call Number: V 216Format: Mini DVCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
Collected images from Freedom Archives’ production “Attica is All of Us.”
The Attica Rebellion The Attica Rebellion
Date: 9/10/2006Call Number: CD 516Format: CDProducers: National Radio ProjectProgram: Making ContactCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
September 9-13th, 2006 marks the 35th anniversary of the Attica Rebellion, a massive prison rebellion, massacre and cover-up in New York. The story of Attica is one of the most brutal and heroic chapters in United States history. After a five-day occupation, 45 people were killed, 150 were shot and hundreds were tortured. As one slogan from 1971 read, "Attica is all of us." Currently, with more than 2 million people imprisoned in the U.S., the story of Attica needs to be told, and the origins of the current anti-prison movement discussed. On this edition, we present a documentary produced by the Freedom Archives. Featuring: Frank 'Big Black' Smith, Attica Brother and prison activist; L.D. Barkley, Attica Brother killed during the re-taking of the prison; Elizabeth Fink, attorney for the Attica Brothers; Michael Deutsch, attorney for the Attica Brothers; Historical recordings in Attica prison of guards and prisoners during the rebellion and the bloody retaking of the prison.
Real Dragon Real Dragon
Date: 9/8/1971Call Number: RD 004Producers: Lincoln BergmanProgram: Real DragonCollection: “The Real Dragon” a news magazine including music and poetry
Talks about the retaking of Attica prison in the struggle for humane treatment of prisoners. The demands include that they be moved to a non-imperialist country. Also news of inequality for Black students in public education, riots in San Diego, CA; Police brutality in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Puerto Rican youth struggle with the police in Hoboken, NJ. Also mention of Los Angeles and San francisco racist acts and killings.
Real Dragon Real Dragon
Date: 10/24/1971Call Number: RD 008Producers: Lincoln Bergman, Claude MarksProgram: Real DragonCollection: “The Real Dragon” a news magazine including music and poetry
Begins with spoken word recalling Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet, who wrote from his cell during his 10-year imprisonment. News coverage of the State murder of George Jackson at San Quentin Prison; Continued and expanding victories for Indochine region, especially Laos; Mexican armed guerilla movements; Eritrean movement against Ethiopia; North Vietnam victim of the heaviest bombing raid waged against them since 1965; Right wing CIA-supported coup in Bolivia; Reading of "Concerning Hopes" by a Palestinian poet; China is opposing the Indian government; Pakistani genocide in Bangladesh; Divisions in the Black Panther Party
Criminal Injustice Rally Criminal Injustice Rally
Date: 9/21/1996Call Number: PM 292Format: Cass A & BCollection: Political Prisoner Periodicals
Several speakers expose the corrupt and racist stance of the federal and state governments. Speakers criticize politicians for their lack of concern, bills and laws are imposed to further oppress communities. People should organize for prison justice and use their economic power to overthrow this corrupt power structure and end racism.