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

Report on the Deaths at San Quentin Report on the Deaths at San Quentin
Date: 8/27/1971Call Number: PM 025Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProgram: Pacifica reportCollection: George Jackson
A documentary on assassination of George Jackson aftermath at San Quentin, with mostly actuality of staff, district attorney, and visiting legislators on 8/21/71 and prison conditions as of 8/27/71.
KPFA Radio News Summary and Update on the San Quentin Six Trial. KPFA Radio News Summary and Update on the San Quentin Six Trial.
Date: 1/1/1976Call Number: KP 218BFormat: Cass BProducers: KPFACollection: George Jackson
Attorney for David Johnson, Frank Cox, filed an affidavit regarding Melvin Cotton Smith's role as a paid informant for the L.A. police department. The news summary gives a good and detailed history of the events surrounding George Jackson's death up to the circumstances involving the San Quentin Six. Included is information on James Carr, COINTELPRO, and the ideological split between Eldridge Cleaver and Huey P. Newton in the Black Panther Party. Contains excerpt of a recording of George Jackson talking three months before his murder, excerpts of an interview with Eldridge Cleaver in exile from Paris, and a telephone interview with Bob Gardner who witnessed the 1970 shootings of W. L. Nolan, Alvin Miller, Cleveland Edwards at Soledad Prison.
George & Jonathan Jackson George & Jonathan Jackson
Call Number: CD 574Format: CDCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Statements read by Huey Newton at Jonathan Jackson's funeral including an letter from George Jackson; a letter from Soledad political prisoners; and Black Panther Party statement ”we must be free, so help us God." August 1970 [PM 008] Reading by Claude Marks and Lincoln Bergman of communiqués re armed actions in retaliation for George Jackson assassination; rally in Willard Park, reporter reads statement from Herman Bell for Unity. August 1975 [PM 013] Jonathan Jackson memorial program - long George Jackson and Huey Newton exerpts and audio from funeral. 8/1/75 [PM 021] A KPFA report on assassination of George Jackson aftermath at San Quentin, with mostly actuality of staff, district attorney, and visiting legislators on 8/21/71 and prison conditions as of 8/27/71. 8/27/71 [PM 025]
Court Minutes from the San Quentin Six Trial Court Minutes from the San Quentin Six Trial
Format: CompilationCollection: San Quentin Six
Court Minutes from March 1975 pre-trial to December 29, 1975.