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.
Ukiah Unitarian Church Teach-In (II) Ukiah Unitarian Church Teach-In (II)
Date: 3/9/2002Call Number: JB 004Format: DV CamProducers: Bernandine MellisCollection: Materials shot and collected in the making of The Forest for the Trees
Continuation of teach-in at Ukiah Unitarian Church. Littletree gives more info on COINTELPRO, and reads Hoover memo on black nationalism. Cunningham goes in-depth on COINTELPRO, compares the case of Fred Hampton to Judi Bari. Chris discusses Old Growth, and Bruce discusses the USA Patriot Act - complicates "terrorism."
Continuation of Meeting/Ward Churchill (I) Continuation of Meeting/Ward Churchill (I)
Date: 4/11/2002Call Number: JB 019Format: DV CamProducers: Bernandine MellisCollection: Materials shot and collected in the making of The Forest for the Trees
Bari counsel meeting continues - Forum about COINTELPRO and Bari case at New College of San Francisco. Karen Pickett introduces case, Littletree tells of the Lord's Avenger letter, how Ward Churchill had contacted Bari telling her this was apart of COINTELPRO, update on the case, and tells of interrogation of Shannon Marr. Ward Churchill unpacks COINTELPRO - retells story of Mark Clark and Fred Hampton, relating to Bari, as each were victims convicted of a crime while FBI was behind each plot. Trying to show pattern, gives BPP and AIM as examples.
Discourse on Bari v. FBI (IV) Discourse on Bari v. FBI (IV)
Date: 4/18/2002Call Number: JB 024Format: DV CamProducers: Bernandine MellisCollection: Materials shot and collected in the making of The Forest for the Trees
Debriefing meeting continued - discuss Fred Hampton, Homeland security, rhetoric of EF!. Rosenfeld reads SF Chronicle article that indicates bomb was under Bari's seat. Cunningham and others are upset about deposition. Discussion of defendants. Serra, Bloom, and Cunningham discuss pipe in Cherney's van. Excitement/amazement at their success thus far.