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

Interview with Huey Newton Interview with Huey Newton
Date: 8/11/1970Call Number: KP 020Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Elsa Knight ThompsonProgram: KPFA generalCollection: Huey Newton
This interview with Huey P. Newton took place shortly after the Marin county courthouse rebellion incident. It is the first press contact with Newton after his release from prison. Newton discusses how the Panther party looked to form alliances with the Vietnamese on an ideological level and speaks of common goals of oppressed people, with special attention to organizations like the Women's Liberation Front in the United States and homosexual rights advocates. This tape includes a brief discussion of the movement to decentralize the police in Berkeley, CA., and has a brief discussion of Eldridge Cleaver in exile and the expectations of the United Nations to return Cleaver to the U.S.
Before Stonewall: The making of a Gay and Lesbian Community Before Stonewall: The making of a Gay and Lesbian Community
Date: 1/1/1985Call Number: V 318Format: DVDProducers: Greta SchillerCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
New York City's Stonewall Inn is regarded as the site of gay and lesbian liberation since it was at this bar that drag queens fought back against police June 27-28, 1969. This documentary uses extensive archival film, movie clips and personal recollections to construct an audiovisual history of the gay community before the Stonewall riots.
Gay and Lesbian Protest, Disability Rights Gay and Lesbian Protest, Disability Rights
Date: 5/7/1977Call Number: FI 067Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Barbara Lubinski, Heber DregerProgram: Freedom Is A Constant StruggleCollection: Freedom is a Constant Struggle
Protest meeting of gay and lesbian activists in San Francisco in protest of Anita Bryant and anti-gay hate campaign. Detailed report disability rights protest gathering, describes "starving out" of demonstrators in Washington DC and victory celebration. Event at Glide marking the 2nd anniversary of the victory of Vietnam.
Gay Liberation- 1981 What are we fighting for? Gay Liberation- 1981 What are we fighting for?
Publisher: Prarie Fire Organizing CommitteeYear: 1981Format: FlyerCollection: Prarie Fire Organizing Committee (PFOC)
statement on whether the LBGTQ community can work within the system for liberation.