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

Growing Up on Kearny Street" Tape 1 (EH) Growing Up on Kearny Street" Tape 1 (EH)
Date: 8/4/1997Call Number: IH 012AFormat: Cass ACollection: The International Hotel struggle and the Filipino community
The first part recording of a symposium titled, "Growing Up on Kearny Street" hosted by unknown woman. Three elderly speakers recount their experiences growing up on Kearny Street. The first speaker, an unidentified male, talks about how the Filipino American community was like an extended family where everyone knew each other and helped each other out. He remembers different bars, clubs, and restaurants in the neighborhood, including Tino's Barbershop and Arabian Nights nightclub. Ocampo, the second male, similarly recounts his childhood experience in the neighborhood. He remembers many different dialects of Tagalong spoken everywhere. Kearny street was home to many Filipino businesses, and a place where unemployed Filipinos could go to find work. The third speaker is Joe San Felipe. He explains that Kearny street was a bachelor community, with few women and thus few families. Briefly talks about discrimination against Filipinos and other Asian Americans. The fourth speaker, an unidentified man, is cut off very shortly after he begins talking. Ocampo is member of the Board of the Manilatown Heritage Foundation as of 2005. This recording is only on side A, and is fairly clear sounding.
I-Hotel ABC Ch. 7 (EH) I-Hotel ABC Ch. 7 (EH)
Date: 8/3/1997Call Number: IH 028Format: VHSCollection: The International Hotel struggle and the Filipino community
An ABC channel 7 news broadcast of the 20th anniversary of the International Hotel protest. Video captures Emil De Guzman, chairperson of the Manilatown Heritage Foundation, and Lloyd Wake, a United Methodist Minister, speaking at the event. Footage includes film clips of the human barricade formed by protesters. Video is recorded on VHS
Manilatown Heritage: Ben, Fred, Estella Habal. 1930s-1940s Manilatown Heritage: Ben, Fred, Estella Habal. 1930s-1940s
Call Number: IH 004Format: CassetteCollection: The International Hotel struggle and the Filipino community
Panel discussion on issues pertaining to Manilatown and the Filipino Community during the 1977 International Hotel Eviction. As Emil de Guzman moderates the Manilatown Heritage Foundation, Estella Habal, and Manilatown residents Fred Basconcillio & Ben Abarca speak. Ben Abarca explains I Hotel's 10-block Kearny Street area and past lives of the many family oriented Filipinos living in the district (1930s to present). Next, Fred Basconcillio explains his childhood as being the son of the New Luneta Café owner. Living amongst severe discrimination, Fred witnessed the exploitation of runaway farm workers. Abarca adds that he witnessed a Filipino lynching incident in San Francisco that was a result of a Filipino man dating a white woman. In result of discrimination, Filipinos got involved in creating the Agricultural Workers Union of America (Larry Itliong) . Next, Estella Habal explains the I-Hotel Eviction era's youth and compares them to past and present generations. For the first generation Manongs it was a crime to be Filipino, the second generation was extremely conservative, the third generation was radical and today's fourth generation is still looking for their identity. Fred Basconcillio ends with recalling personal discrimination in the Ironworkers Union. Eventually, he became the first Filipino President of the Ironworkers Union.