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.

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

Crossroads: Contemporary Political Analysis & Left Dialogue Crossroads: Contemporary Political Analysis & Left Dialogue
Publisher: CrossroadsYear: 1993Volume Number: No. 31 MayFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Feminist and Lesbian Politics: Monographs-Periodicals-Articles
A Salute to Latinas in the Arts; Inside this Issue: "For an Art of Resistance"; Feminist Visions; "We're Still Invisible"; Mexican Themes in Dance, Film, Teatro; Artist Proocateur; Turning It Around; Cry from the Borderlands; Monica Palacios: "Latin Lezbo Comic".
Voices of Women: Poetry by and about Third World Women Voices of Women: Poetry by and about Third World Women
Publisher: WIRE CollectiveFormat: CompilationCollection: Feminist and Lesbian Politics: Monographs-Periodicals-Articles
Part One: Private Whispers; Part Two: Public Shouts; Part Three: Listen to the Voices of Our Growing Discontent; Part Four: Sister, Unknown Sister, Your Voice Reaches Us
Womens Liberation Womens Liberation
Volume Number: Issue 23 June-JulyFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Feminist and Lesbian Politics: Monographs-Periodicals-Articles
It Aint Me Babe It Aint Me Babe
Publisher: Woman's Liberation Basement Press CollectiveYear: 1970Volume Number: Vol. 1-6 AprilFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Feminist and Lesbian Politics: Monographs-Periodicals-Articles
Special Media Issue; Inside this Issue: "Sisters in Struggle"; "The Art of Maiming Women"; "You've Come A Long Way Baby: women's magazines 1860-1960"; "What Are You Afraid Of In the Dark?"; "In Memoriam: How Society Suicided Norma Jean"; more
It Aint Me Babe It Aint Me Babe
Publisher: Berkeley Women's LiberationYear: 1970Volume Number: Vol. 1-1 JanuaryFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Feminist and Lesbian Politics: Monographs-Periodicals-Articles
Inside this Issue: Self-defense for women; contraception; demands to Berkeley University regarding discrimination; "La Chicana: Let's Build a New Life"; "Day Care and You"; poetry
It Aint Me Babe It Aint Me Babe
Publisher: Berkeley Women's LiberationYear: 1970Volume Number: Vol. 1-11 AugustFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Feminist and Lesbian Politics: Monographs-Periodicals-Articles
Inside this Issue: "A Struggle for Identity"; "Strike! Women's Liberation"; poetry; excerpts from Emma Goldman; "Black and White: My Hippie Past"; "Anatomy of an Abortion"; "An open letter to Betty Friedan";
It Aint Me Babe It Aint Me Babe
Publisher: Berkeley Women's LiberationYear: 1970Volume Number: Vol. 1-5 AprilFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Feminist and Lesbian Politics: Monographs-Periodicals-Articles
Special Magic Issue; Inside this issue: "Women Towards a New Culture"; "mail strike: why were women's issues invisible?"; "Red Witch"; "Witch's Brew"; "On the small group"; "On my own oppression"; "The Feminist Eye"; "Keep On Truckin Sisters"; "Unspoken Culture"; poetry; more
Off Our Backs: A Women's Newsjournal Off Our Backs: A Women's Newsjournal
Publisher: Off Our Backs CollectiveYear: 1992Volume Number: Vol. 22-1 JanuaryFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Feminist and Lesbian Politics: Monographs-Periodicals-Articles
Cover Story: 1992 When Will It End?; Inside this Issue: "100 million missing"; "Canada to test RU486"; "Why Women Don't Quit Jobs Over Sexual Harrassment"; more
Through the Looking Glass: A Women's and Children's Prison Newsletter Through the Looking Glass: A Women's and Children's Prison Newsletter
Publisher: Through the Looking GlassVolume Number: Vol. 2-10 DecemberFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Feminist and Lesbian Politics: Monographs-Periodicals-Articles
Updates: more drugs, sexism, Vancouver; Inside this Issue: Rita Brown; "Chemical Chains - Who makes the $?"; "So who are they anyway?" (the George Jackson Brigade); Latin American prisoners; more
Through the Looking Glass: A Womens Prison Newsletter Through the Looking Glass: A Womens Prison Newsletter
Publisher: Through the Looking GlassYear: 1986Volume Number: Vol. 11-1 SpringFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Feminist and Lesbian Politics: Monographs-Periodicals-Articles
Cover Story: International Womens Day; Inside this Issue: "Israel and Palestine: Speak Out for Peace"; "Women's Resistance Under Israeli Occupation"; "Civil Commitment in Washington State"; Letters from Inside; more