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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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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.
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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

Wishlist of Political Prisoner Pardons, 1994 Wishlist of Political Prisoner Pardons, 1994
Call Number: JG/ 086BFormat: Cass BProducers: Judy GerberProgram: A Defiant HeartCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Wish list of New Year's resolutions for Bill Clinton focusing on political prisoners and prisoners of war, 1994. Eulogy for AIDs activist Michael Callen. Requests for the retrial and/or pardoning of political prisoners Leonard Peltier, Geronimo Pratt, Mumia Abu Jamal, and Silvia Baraldini and for the pardoning of Puerto Rican prisoners of war, with background information on each of their situations.
Interview with Linn Washington Interview with Linn Washington
Date: 1/1/1982Call Number: JG/ 116Format: CassetteProducers: Judy GerberCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Linn Washington, executive editor of the Philadelphia Observer and author of the book “Black Judges on Justice” describes the vast misrepresentation of long time colleague and friend Mumia Abu-Jamal during his trial, as well as the irregularities of evidence held against him.
Linn Washington and Ron Hampton on Mumia Abu Jamal Linn Washington and Ron Hampton on Mumia Abu Jamal
Call Number: JG/ 064AFormat: Cass AProducers: Judy GerberCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Linn Washington describes how the corruption surrounding Mumia’s case is common and widespread, and how the judicial system is used against political prisoners. Ron Hampton discusses why the National Black Police Association supports a new trial for Mumia and the removal of the death penalty. Black police have an obligation to work with the Black community against “white state repression.”
A Defiant Heart: International Women's Day 1996 A Defiant Heart: International Women's Day 1996
Date: 3/1/1996Call Number: JG/ 157AFormat: Cass AProducers: Judy GerberProgram: A Defiant HeartCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
A Defiant Heart’s International Women’s Day Show (March 1, 1996). Judy Gerber and Judy Siff read poetry dedicated to Mumia Abu Jamal and Assata Shakur written by various political prisoners including Kathy Boudin, Laura Whitehorn, Marylin Buck, and Tim Blunk.
Update on the case of Mumia Abu Jamal through an interview with Noel Hanahan Update on the case of Mumia Abu Jamal through an interview with Noel Hanahan
Date: 9/15/1995Call Number: JG/ 159AFormat: Cass AProducers: Judy GerberProgram: A Defiant HeartCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Judy provides an update on the case of Mumia Abu Jamal through a phone interview with Noel Hanahan, one of the coordinators of the Equal Justice: Quixote Center. Mumia Abu Jamal is being held on death row in Philadelphia for killing a police officer. Noel tells of how Judge Albert Sabo has denied the use of substantial evidence that would overturn his conviction and free Mumia. Mumia’s case has helped exposed the corruption within the Philadelphia Police Department and Philadelphia’s prisons resulting in over 100,000 cases being reopened and so far 40 people have been released from prison.