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

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.
Brotando del Silencio (Breaking out of the Silence) Brotando del Silencio (Breaking out of the Silence)
Date: 1/1/1973Call Number: Vin 032Producers: Paredon RecordsCollection: General materials
Songs that give voice to the women of La Raza, or people of mixed racial descent from Latin America. Suni Paz's music empowers both the Chicano Movement and women's liberation. Artist's statement and lyrics contained in the liner notes.
Taone- Taone en Cuba Taone- Taone en Cuba
Date: 1/1/1973Call Number: Vin 044Producers: Disco Libre, TaoneCollection: General materials
This album was recorded in Havana, Cuba by a Puerto Rican group called Taone. Influenced by the Nueva Trova movement in Cuba, Taone traveled to Havana in 1973 to record an album of protest songs in solidarity with revolutionary Cuba. Liner notes contain song lyrics.
Gay Community Social Services of Seattle- Lavender Country Gay Community Social Services of Seattle- Lavender Country
Date: 1/1/1973Call Number: Vin 051Producers: Gay Community Social Services of Seattle, Lavender Country, Patrick HaggertyCollection: General materials
The first album of gay music of record. Sponsored by a collective called Gay Community Social Services of Seattle, Lavender Country was led by songwriter Patrick Haggerty. Songs that protest the oppressive heteronormativity and homophobia of American society and rally for an empowering Gay Movement.