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 sings Paul Robeson sings
Call Number: KP 057Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsCollection: Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson, sings “Joe Hill”.
The Hidden radical dimensions of Dr. Martin Luther King The Hidden radical dimensions of Dr. Martin Luther King
Date: 1/15/1974Call Number: KP 087Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Earl OfariCollection: Martin Luther King Jr.
Examination of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King from the perspective of his commitment to radical social change. Through his speeches and writings, a composite picture is presented of his views on issues such as Black power, the Vietnam War, the draft, capitalism, and socialism. Includes actuality of his speeches and readings from his writings. THE HIDDEN RADICAL DIMENSIONS OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING / produced by Earl Ofari
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