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

Interview at Alternative House Interview at Alternative House
Date: 9/14/1971Call Number: PM 111Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsCollection: Political Prisoner Periodicals
Interview with various individuals at “Alternative House” about cycles of violence and repression in prisons. Talk about the increase in abuse after murder of George Jackson, Attica, etc. The more the inside is controlled, the more people will take to the streets. The prison movement is similar to the movement around the world of oppressed people - understanding colonialism in various contexts. Only psychologically sick people can cage and abuse people, which makes revolution that much more possible. It is oppression that makes the revolutionary realize that he is not receiving what any human needs to survive and live with dignity. Distinction between oppression related to mentality vs. material things. Blatant atrocities that are evident within the prison system as well as in the Third World. Cause of prisoners is a just cause - even for those who lack humanity because of the overwhelming cost of housing a prisoner.
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.
Interview with Assata Shakur and Rita Bo Brown Interview with Assata Shakur and Rita Bo Brown
Call Number: PM 212Format: CassetteProducers: Barbara LubinskiCollection: Assata Shakur
This tape is a series of interviews between Assata Shakur and Rita Bo Brown. They both met each other in prison. (I believe) in This interview it is Assata that asks Bo to comment on this question: “Is there ways to prevent people (which has happened in the past alot) from getting engaged in armed struggle, by becoming very isolated?”
Interview with Assata Shakur and Rita Bo Brown Interview with Assata Shakur and Rita Bo Brown
Call Number: CD 290Format: CDProducers: Barbara LubinskiCollection: Assata Shakur
Same as PM212 This tape is a series of interviews between Assata Shakur and Rita Bo Brown. They both met each other in prison to discuss the isolation of those involved in armed struggle.
Interviews with Herman Bell Interviews with Herman Bell
Date: 9/16/1974Call Number: CD 542Format: CDProducers: KPFACollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Interview done by Claude Marks with Black Liberation Army member Herman Bell. Bell discusses the need for organizing within the black community and the means of strengthening itself through resistance and struggle. The SLA and Black Liberation Army are discussed extensively. 6/13/1974 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 (BLA), Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), and the Weather Underground. Prison conditions and police harassment are also discussed. 9/16/1974 & 9/25/1974
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.
The Black Panther Black Community News Service The Black Panther Black Community News Service
Publisher: The Black Panther PartyYear: 1971Volume Number: Vol. 7-4 September 18Format: PeriodicalCollection: Black Panther Party Community News Service
Cover Story: Massacre at Attica
The Black Panther Black Community News Service The Black Panther Black Community News Service
Publisher: The Black Panther PartyYear: 1971Volume Number: Vol. 7-5 September 25Format: PeriodicalCollection: Black Panther Party Community News Service
Cover Story: Lynching for Black G.I.'s Only- Billy Dean Smith Political Prisoner of the US Military
The Black Panther Black Community News Service The Black Panther Black Community News Service
Publisher: The Black Panther PartyYear: 1971Volume Number: Vol. 7-5 October 4Format: PeriodicalCollection: Black Panther Party Community News Service
Cover Story: The Black Panther Party Proclaims Revolutionary Intercommunal Solidarity with the Congolese People, The Revolutionary Government of Congo-Brazzaville and the Congolese Worker's Party
The Black Panther Black Community News Service The Black Panther Black Community News Service
Publisher: The Black Panther PartyYear: 1971Volume Number: Vol. 7-6 October 9Format: PeriodicalCollection: Black Panther Party Community News Service
Cover Story: State of California Executes Joyce Annette Henderson- Welfare Recipient Victim of Inability to Pay for Proper Medical Care