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

War Without Terms: California Prisons War Without Terms: California Prisons
Call Number: JG/ 015Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Judy GerberCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Chronology is scripted and read, woman narrator, good historical information just not a lot of primary voices. Title: "War Without Terms"
Capital Punishment in California Capital Punishment in California
Call Number: JG/ 054Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Interview discussing the details of the death penalty in the state of California.
Interview with Karina Epperlein about Women in Prison Film  Interview with Karina Epperlein about Women in Prison Film
Call Number: PM 132Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: KPFACollection: Prisons - Women
An interview with Karina Epperlein on her upcoming film about her work with women in prison. The film, Voices From Inside, is based on her work with female prisoners at the Federal Correctional Institute in Pleasanton, California. For two years she worked with groups of 5-12 women using voice and scream therapy in the effort to target core emotions within. The program, Finding Our Voices, tapped into painful feelings, such as the separation of these mothers from their children, with such expression that it inspired Epperlein to write poetry, as in the book Pouring Love into Bones, and the documentary, Voices From Inside. This interview was created in part to advertise for the film’s fundraiser on June 17-19, year unknown, at the Wild Cat Studio in Berkeley, California. Epperlein will be performing with Gwen Jones for Pouring Love into Bones.
Interview with Luis Talamantez Interview with Luis Talamantez
Call Number: SS 132AFormat: Cass AProducers: Sue SuprianoCollection: Sue Supriano Interviews and Programs
Interview with Luis Talamantez on the Pelican Bay Project, "Torture in California."
Interview with Heather McKay Interview with Heather McKay
Call Number: SS 132BFormat: Cass BProducers: Sue SuprianoCollection: Sue Supriano Interviews and Programs
Interview with Heather McKay, a Pelican Bay attorney.
Interviews with Dr. Corey Weinstein, John Irwin and Kiilu Nyasha Interviews with Dr. Corey Weinstein, John Irwin and Kiilu Nyasha
Call Number: SS 017BFormat: Cass BProducers: Sue SuprianoCollection: Sue Supriano Interviews and Programs
Interviews with Dr. Corey Weinstein, John Irwin and Kiilu Nyasha about the Pelican Bay prison in California.
Interview with Luis Talamantez, Willie Tate and David Johnson Interview with Luis Talamantez, Willie Tate and David Johnson
Call Number: SS 020AFormat: Cass AProducers: Sue SuprianoCollection: Sue Supriano Interviews and Programs
Kiilu Nyasha interviews Luis Talamantez, Willie Tate and David Johnson, three of the San Quentin 6, about Comrade George Jackson and the prison system. The interviewees talk about the murder of George Jackson, the police cover-up of the murder, the San Francisco courtroom riot, the inhuman conditions in the prisons and the need for prison reforms in the United States.
San Quentin Prison: Black August San Quentin Prison: Black August
Call Number: SS 020BFormat: Cass BProducers: Sue SuprianoCollection: Sue Supriano Interviews and Programs
Segments from George Jackson, Ruchell Magee and Black August.
Jalil Muntaqim interview (1 of 4) Jalil Muntaqim interview (1 of 4)
Call Number: V 078Format: VHSProducers: John O’ReillyCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
Begins with talk about how he met Nuh Washington and Sacco Ortiz, who were Denver Panthers needing a place to crash. They lived at his place for a few months in the Bay Area, politicizing each other and living communally. Tells story of how Nuh got his name. Describes in detail about his transition into Islam. Quite reluctant at first, argued a lot with Max Sanford aka Hamid Hamid and H. Rap Brown aka Jamil AABD Al-Amin, with whom he was imprisoned in Old Queens, NY in 1972. He had great respect for these guys and watched them pray 5 times a day. He called himself a materialist up until this point, but could never resolve question of spirit and what happens to spirit once the body passes. Being a Muslim doesn’t take away from his being a revolutionary, only provides more and brings hope, a tempered spirit, and a spiritual/material equilibrium. Discusses the meaning of Jihad - to struggle, to strive in his political life. Talks about rebelling against parents, schools and cops. Always a good student, mom instilled a sense of dignity and African identity in him. Politicized by the murder of Martin Luther King, seeing Black Panther Party on TV going to the CA capitol with weapons, friends John Carlos and Tommie Smith at the 1968 Olympics with black power fists raised in the air. Was always associated with Black Panther Party, but only briefly joined and then was recruited into the Black Liberation Army whose existence began years before they were publicly known as an underground organization during Jalil and Dharuba bin Wahad’s case in 1971. Discusses his case - initially as the NY 5 with the Ortiz brothers (Gabriel and Francisco), later their case was dismissed for lack of evidence, thus they became the NY 3. Discusses how evidence was tampered with and the entire conviction was a setup given the threat that the government and FBI believed that the Black Liberation Army/Black Panther Party posed to the national security. Has much information and FBI documents proving innocence through the Freedom of Information Act. Discusses the torturing of witnesses, granting immunity to one witness who had several outstanding arrests.
AIDS in Prison: A Double Sentence AIDS in Prison: A Double Sentence
Call Number: JG/ 061AFormat: Cass AProducers: Judy GerberCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Judy Gerber speaks with inmates, activists, and prison officials about conditions in the AIDS Unit inside the California Correctional Facility in Vacaville, California. Attica Brother Akil Al-Jundi and others speak on AIDS prisoners' confrontations with racism, quarantine, lacking medical facilities and personnel, involuntary and suspect testing, and cruel prison administrations. Also included, are depictions of prisoner resistance to inhumane treatment and a call for action from the public outside the prison walls.