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

Afeni Shakur Interview Afeni Shakur Interview
Date: 1/27/1972Call Number: CD 592Format: CDCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Afeni Shakur speaks about the Panther 21 Trial, the Black Panther Party, repression and prisons.
Voices On and Of Prisons in the U.S. Voices On and Of Prisons in the U.S.
Date: 1/1/1993Call Number: PM 341Format: Cass A & BProducers: Undercurrents Radio, WMUACollection: Political Prisoner Periodicals
This tape is a series of interviews with [scholarly] activists and former prisoners discussing prisons in the United States. Dr Steve Whitman, from the Committee to End the Marion Lockdown and a top epidemiologist in Chicago, gives an interview titled "Overview on Race, Imprisonment and Control Unit Prisons," which provides a statistical and factual background for the following speakers. Ward Churchill discusses the American Indian Movement and its relationship with the U.S. government, specifically in the late 1960s involving Pine Ridge. Safiya Bukhari-Alston, former member of the Harlem Chapter of the Black Party, discusses political prisoners in the United States and the reasons for black people organized against an oppressive system/country. Akil Al-Jundi, former Attica prisoner, relates the events and conditions leading up to the 1971 Attica Prison riots. He emphasizes the racialized nature of relationships, job opportunities and authority that continued the oppression of black people within the prison system.
Geronimo/Mumia Event Geronimo/Mumia Event
Date: 8/16/1997Call Number: PM 352Format: Cass A & BCollection: Geronimo Pratt
Rally held at Mission High School in San Francisco to commemorate the release of Geronimo ji Jaga Pratt and to demand the release of Mumia Abu Jamal. Speakers include Geronimo Pratt who thanks people for their support. Geronimo compares his case and Mumia's and recognizes Afeni Shakur who speaks about Geronimo, Mumia and her son, Tupac.
Huey Newton on Marin Courthouse Rebellion Huey Newton on Marin Courthouse Rebellion
Date: 8/11/1970Call Number: CE 098Format: 1/4 3 3/4 ipsProducers: KPFACollection: Colin Edwards Collection
Interviewed six days after his release and just before the funeral of Jonathan Jackson and William Christmas. extensive conversation with Elsa Knight Thompson about the politics of the Black Panther Party and the world situation. Exerpts from the funeral of Jonathan Jackson and William Christmas with Rev. Earl Neal, Huey Newton and David Hilliard.
US discovery document in Dhoruba Bin Wahad v. FBI US discovery document in Dhoruba Bin Wahad v. FBI
Call Number: C 10 061Format: CDCollection: COINTELPRO 101 Raw Materials
Former Black Panther, Dhoruba Bin Wahad was convicted for the premeditated murder of two police officers. Documents from US government's COINTELPRO program showed that the prosecution failed to disclose evidence pertinent to the defense and the ruling was overturned. This is the US discovery document of that case.
Bonnie Kerness Interviews Sundiata Acoli Bonnie Kerness Interviews Sundiata Acoli
Date: 4/27/1996Call Number: PM 414AFormat: Cass AProducers: Bonnie KernessCollection: Sundiata Acoli
Interview conducted at Allenwood Federal Prison surrounding the trial on control units.
Bonnie Kerness Interviews Sundiata Acoli Bonnie Kerness Interviews Sundiata Acoli
Date: 4/27/1996Call Number: CD 806Format: CDProducers: Bonnie KernessCollection: Sundiata Acoli
Interview conducted at Allenwood Federal Prison surrounding the trial on control units. Sundiata Acoli on explanations on Control Units and their use and psychological effect on political prisoners, prisoners of war and people's struggle. Phillip Zimbardo narrates this audio portion of the documentary "Quiet Rage: The Documentary" which covers a 6 day experiment on the psychological effects of prisoner and guard roles and relationships.
Nancy Kurshan interviews Sundiata Acoli Nancy Kurshan interviews Sundiata Acoli
Call Number: PM 415AFormat: Cass ACollection: Sundiata Acoli
Sundiata Acoli on explanations on Control Units and their use and psychological effect on political prisoners, prisoners of war and people's struggle.