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.

Independent Collections

These collections were produced by independent journalists. Many of these recordings make up the bulk of the original collection of the Freedom Archives.

Subcollections

Documents

Martin Luther King at Santa Rita Martin Luther King at Santa Rita
Date: 1/14/1968Call Number: CE 096Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Colin EdwardsCollection: Colin Edwards Collection
King's speech at a demonstration supporting anti-war activists imprisoned at the Santa Rita prison. King pleas for an escalation of civil disobedience in 1968 in response to an expanded war in Vietnam. King responds to rumors attributed to Adam Clayton Powell that King is questioning his commitment to non-violence.
Victory Rally: 12/9/64 Victory Rally: 12/9/64
Date: 12/9/1964Call Number: CE 678Format: 1/4 3 3/4 ipsProducers: Colin EdwardsCollection: Colin Edwards Free Speech Movement
A victory rally on the UC Berkeley campus following the Academic Senate vote to support freedom of political expression on campus. Speakers include Mario Savio (who is greeted with a serenade of “Happy Birthday”), Jack Weinberg, philosophy professor John Searle, Bettina Aptheker, Ron Anastasi (reading a message from Joan Baez as well as an op-ed by Ralph Gleason), and Art Goldberg. Lots of gratitude expressed, thanking movement supporters including Harvard students and Bay Area labor unions, and lots of self-effacing humor. Aptheker’s speech, which touches on experiences in Santa Rita and gratitude for faculty support, is especially well-crafted. Goldberg discusses the role of humor in the movement. There is also talk of organizing for the upcoming Regents meeting at UCLA, and soliciting donations for legal defense. Notes on the tape box indicate that parts of this recording were used for the program “Mario Savio: A Study in Charisma.”
KPFA Documentary Reel 1 KPFA Documentary Reel 1
Call Number: CE 716Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: KPFACollection: Colin Edwards Free Speech Movement
This recording primarily deals with the Sproul Hall protests on Dec. 3rd/4th 1964. There are clips of Mario Savio and Joan Baez. Documentary includes on-site interviews with students/FSM activists, a list of agreements with the UC Regents read by Savio which were later refuted by UC official, claiming the list was never formally adopted.
Revolt on Campus Revolt on Campus
Date: 12/6/1966Call Number: CE 779Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Ralph Gleason, Burton White, KPFA StaffProgram: America Since the Bomb Series Collection: Colin Edwards Free Speech Movement
Documentary about the Free Speech Movement
Dub of FSM Record Dub of FSM Record
Call Number: CE 790Format: 1/4 3 3/4 ipsProducers: Colin EdwardsCollection: Colin Edwards Free Speech Movement
Narrated audio from the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley.