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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.
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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.

Gender and Sexuality

This collection features materials from a number of sources focusing on struggles revolving around gender and sexuality. These struggles are not separate from larger struggles for liberation but specifically incorporate unique voices and perspectives.

Subcollections

  • Connexions
    Connexions
    Connexions is the collective product of feminists of diverse nationalities and political perspectives committed to contributing to an international women\'s movement.
  • Feminist and Lesbian Politics: Monographs-Periodicals-Articles
    Feminist and Lesbian Politics: Monographs-Periodicals-Articles
    This collection contains materials focusing on radical feminist and lesbian politics. While diverse in medium and subject matter, this collection contextualizes women’s liberation highlighting issues of class, race, sexuality and imperialism.
  • Materials shot and collected in the making of The Forest for the Trees
    Materials shot and collected in the making of The Forest for the Trees
    Raw materials from the documentary "The Forest for the Trees" which details the amazing story of the fight to clear Earth First! activist Judi Bari's name after her car was bombed and she was arrested as a terrorist.
  • Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
    Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
    Out of Control (OOC) was a self-supporting committee formed in 1987 to organize resistance to the Lexington Control Unit for women.
  • Prisons - Women
    Prisons - Women
    This collection contains materials relating to the specific conditions, challenges and struggles facing women in prison. Topics are varied but materials include conference papers, informational materials, legal perspectives and audio recordings.
  • Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
    This collection contains grassroots radio programming produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms. This programming primarily occurred during the 1980s and 1990s.
  • Sterilization
    Sterilization
    This collection contains materials focusing on the sterilization of women and efforts to resist this practice.
  • Violence Against Women
    Violence Against Women
    This collection contains materials focusing on violence against women. Specific topics covered include women who fight back against their abusers, rape, pornography, sexism and self-defense.
  • Women Against Imperialism
    Women Against Imperialism
    Women Against Imperialism was a grassroots, feminist, anti-imperialist solidarity organization formed in San Francisco in 1981. Women Against Imperialism’s work primarily consisted of direct action organizing and political education activities.

Documents

W.I.N.G.S- Women’s International News Gathering Service Report W.I.N.G.S- Women’s International News Gathering Service Report
Call Number: JG/ 038AFormat: Cass AProducers: Frida Warden, Kathleen DavenportCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
1989: the first news story, “Abortion goes to court in Canada” is about the latest attack on womyn’s rights in Quebec, Canada regarding a new anti- abortion law. the second story, “U.S womyn organized against Rape” covers the 11th annual National Coalition against Sexual Assault conference in Philadelphia. The third story discusses the leadership of African womyn in “response to disasters.” the fourth story is on a conference, the national assembly of religious women held, titled “risk and resistance in the south.” The fifth story is about the Israeli court of justice ruling that the homes of Palestinians can not be demolished. The last story on this segment, talks about corporate backers taking control of 3 womyn magazines such as MS and sassy.
W.I.N.G.S- Women’s International News Gathering Service Report W.I.N.G.S- Women’s International News Gathering Service Report
Date: 11/11/1989Call Number: JG/ 038BFormat: Cass BProducers: Judy GerberCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
WFRG Judy Gerber talks with CISPES alert editor Mike Silinsky about El Salvador’s FMLN “peace talks” and the insistence that the US government stop aid to their military. He outlines some of the demands of the FMLN, including, removing all officers from the military involved in the death squads.
Focus on the Americas with Blase Bonpane, Ph.D. “It’s time to stop US aid to Israel” Focus on the Americas with Blase Bonpane, Ph.D. “It’s time to stop US aid to Israel”
Date: 7/17/1991Call Number: JG/ 083BFormat: Cass BProgram: Focus on the AmericasCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Bonpane calls for need to coerce Israel to change its policy. We as US citizens must call upon our government to stop giving aid of $3.5 billion USD per year. Prominent Israeli Jews (military and nonmilitary) have also called for a stop of US aid in order to change Israeli policy. Discusses George Bush, Sr.'s crime bill that calls for secret trials, secret charges and secret evidence for non-US citizens labeled terrorists. Terrorists are defined as those giving financial assistance and support to international resistance movements including FMLN, PLO, and ANC. Material supporters would receive 10 years in prison (both US and non-US citizens). It allows youth records to be treated as adult and expands the death penalty to include Native Americans living in Indian Territories. It also permits the use of illegally seized evidence.
Focus on the Americas with Blase Bonpane, Ph.D. Interview with Michael Job on recent trip to Iraq. Focus on the Americas with Blase Bonpane, Ph.D. Interview with Michael Job on recent trip to Iraq.
Call Number: JG/ 081BFormat: Cass BProducers: Judy GerberCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Michael Job who served as the Chair of the Veteran's Peace Action Teams and is a Vietnam combat veteran discusses reason behind military action in Iraq. Job and Bonpane discuss the conflicting and confusing multitude of reasons for war with Iraq given by President George Bush (Sr.). They discuss the contradictions and hypocrisy in Bush's arguments, call for more critical thinking by citizens and military personnel. Discuss the similarities between a draft and indentured servitude (slavery), the class issues involved in the war, and the exploitation of the poor by military recruiters. They put the military buildup in the Middle East in perspective by linking it to Regan's Iran Contra affair and attacks on Nicaragua. Call for equality in treatment of countries - foreign military response to US invasion of Panama and Israeli invasion of Syria. They reject double standards and liken Bush's action to starting a global conflict.
Rima Tarazi on the Intifada Rima Tarazi on the Intifada
Call Number: JG/ 137BFormat: Cass BProducers: Judy GerberCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Discusses women’s role in the intifada, the changing nature of the struggle as “daily life becomes more and more politicized,” and the importance of family and community to Palestinians. Describes how “the intifada is a positive expression of the will of the people to establish an independent state…to confirm and re-affirm our own identity.”