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

Paul Robeson: Freedomways Tribute, on WBAI Paul Robeson: Freedomways Tribute, on WBAI
Date: 6/17/1965Call Number: PR 052Format: 1/4 3 3/4 ipsProducers: WBAIProgram: FreedomwaysCollection: Paul Robeson recordings
Paul Robeson: Freedomways Tribute, on WBAI Radio, contains event held on June 17, 1965, with Joanne Grant, emcee, describing Robeson’s life and reading from his speeches and interviews. Major excerpts from the 1963 Freedomways Welcome Home Tribute, when Robeson returned home after five years of traveling around the world. The 1963 event was his last public appearance. Includes the speeches of James Baldwin, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, John Lewis (Director of SNCC, Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) and Robert Nemeroff, widower of Lorraine Hansberry, reading her tribute to Robeson. Also includes recording of Robeson reciting the last speech of Othello and a recording of him singing Old Man River. Same as CD 287, Track 1 (Robeson’s 25-minute speech at the 1963 event is on CD 287, Track 3.)
Paul Robeson speaks in Oakland Paul Robeson speaks in Oakland
Call Number: PR 063Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsCollection: Paul Robeson recordings
Out-takes: Excerpts from interview in Oakland, CA. Robeson speaks about the Council on African Affairs, his passport struggle, his love for the folk songs of many cultures, art as the reflection of a common reality and universal aspirations for a better life all over the world, his travels to socialist countries, and socialism. Also, excerpts from his speech on civil rights, the history of slavery and the abolition movement. (Some distortion on tape.) Same as CD 308, Track 1
Paul Robeson: Freedom ways Tribute, on WBAI Paul Robeson: Freedom ways Tribute, on WBAI
Date: 6/17/1965Call Number: CD 287Format: CDProducers: WBAIProgram: Freedom waysCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Paul Robeson: Freedom ways Tribute, on WBAI Radio, contains event held on June 17, 1965, with Joanne Grant, emcee, narrating Robeson’s life and reading quotations from his speeches and interviews. At that event, major excerpts were played from the 1963 Freedom ways Welcome Home Tribute, when Robeson returned home after five years of traveling around the world. The 1963 event was his last public appearance. Includes the speeches of James Baldwin, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, John Lewis (Director of SNCC, Student non-violent Coordinating Committee) and Robert Nemeroff, widower of Lorraine Hansberry, reading her tribute to Robeson. Also includes recording of Robeson reciting the last speech of Othello and a recording of him singing Old Man River. Paul Robeson’s 25-minute speech, at his last public appearance, at the Freedom ways Welcome Home Tribute, 1963. See PR 052
Paul Robeson speaks in Oakland Paul Robeson speaks in Oakland
Call Number: CD 308Format: CDCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Out-takes: Excerpts from interview in Oakland, CA. Robeson speaks about the Council on African Affairs, his passport struggle, his love for the folk songs of many cultures, art as the reflection of a common reality and universal aspirations for a better life all over the world, his travels to socialist countries, and socialism. Also, excerpts from his speech on civil rights, the history of slavery and the abolition movement. (Some distortion on tape.) Same as PR 063 Raw materials, 1950s: Taped message from Robeson to Marine Cooks and Stewards Same as PR 064 Joe Johnson, Marine Cooks & Stewards Union, introduces Paul Robeson. Robeson, speaks, sings 5 songs, recites speech from “Boris Gudonov” in English and Russian, sings part of an aria from Mussorgsky’s opera; also recites “Dr. Butts” by Langston Hughes. (The latter has some parts missing from the tape.) Same as PR 067