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

GI March, 1969 GI March, 1969
Date: 6/4/1969Call Number: KP 055Format: 1/4 15 ipsProducers: Claude MarksCollection: Anti-War
An antiwar sound montage with sounds from the battlefield over Beatles music and community voices.
Paul Robeson Show Paul Robeson Show
Date: 7/31/1982Call Number: CD 236Format: CDProducers: Emiliano EcheverriaProgram: Freedom Is A Constant StruggleCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Paul Robeson singing and excerpts from interviews, where he speaks about the unity of the struggle of all peoples, his views on Socialism, the Bandung Conference and the struggle against colonialism and racism. Fernando Alegria recites Pablo Neruda’s poem “Ode to Paul Robeson” Same as PR 010
Paul Robeson Jr. Interview Paul Robeson Jr. Interview
Date: 1/1/1981Call Number: CD 273Format: CDProducers: Lena VerinCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Interview with Paul Robeson Jr about his efforts to bring his father’s life and legacy to public attention, through the establishment, in 1973, of the Paul Robeson Archives, subsequently donated to the Moreland Spingarn Collection at Howard University and the production of a 29-minute video documentary on Robeson narrated by Sidney Poitier. (1981) Interview is interspersed with a few Robeson songs, excerpts from Robeson speaking about Negro music, Chinese and East African folk musis and 11th century Czechoslovakian chorales. Robeson’s belief that a famous artist has a responsibility to speak out against injustice and for peace and about his belief in Socialism. Same as PR 039
A Grain of Sand: Music for the Struggle by Asians in America A Grain of Sand: Music for the Struggle by Asians in America
Date: 1/1/1973Call Number: Vin 015Format: VinylProducers: Paredon Records, Chris Kando Iijima, Joanne Nobuko Miyamoto, Charlie ChinCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Folk songs by a Japanese-American song writing collective that protests racism and imperialism in America. Lyrics also express support for other solidarity movements, particularly that of African-Americans and Latin Americans, as well as the political impetus for a socialist state. Notably the first Asian American music album. Liner notes includes a lengthy political statement by the artists.
Cancion Protesta: Protest Songs of Latin America Cancion Protesta: Protest Songs of Latin America
Date: 1/1/1970Call Number: Vin 031Producers: Paredon Records, Organization of Latin American SolidarityCollection: General materials
Protest songs recorded by activist musicians from Argentina Chile, Cuba, Peru, and Uruguay. In 1967, the Cuban revolutionary government under Fidel Castro held a meeting of the Organization of Latin American Solidarity (OLAS) in Havana. Artists and activists discussed the importance of protest songs in communicating the messages of freedom movements. After this conference, OLAS recorded this album. Includes liner notes with contextual information and lyrics.
Mario Avila-Juntos Partido Y Pueblo Mario Avila-Juntos Partido Y Pueblo
Call Number: Vin 106Format: VinylProducers: Ediciones del Comite Central del partido Socialista de los trabajadoresCollection: Freedom is a Constant Struggle
Mario Avila composes these songs representing worker struggle, and uses his music to convey Socialist ideals. He also uses his music to praise political leaders like Jose Marti and Emiliano Zapata.