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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.
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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

Speech by Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe to African Americans Speech by Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe to African Americans
Date: 8/23/1980Call Number: AFR 006BFormat: Cass BCollection: Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe gives a speech to African Americans living in Harlem, at a rally on Harlem Day, August 23, 1980. On the occasion of Zimbabwe’s admission to the United Nations, Mugabe thanks people for their support of Zimbabwe’s struggle for national independence and against colonial racist white rule. He celebrates the victory of the black man in Zimbabwe and the continued struggle for non-racialism and equality. He ends his speech with the hope that the victory of Zimbabwe will inspire the oppressed Africans in South Africa and Namibia.
Conference on liberation and reconstruction struggles in Southern Africa Conference on liberation and reconstruction struggles in Southern Africa
Call Number: AFR 035Format: Cass A & BCollection: African liberation movements
Continuation of AFR 034 See enclosed note in AFR 035 Conference on liberation and reconstruction struggles in Africa, particularly in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia. A representative of SWAPO (South West African People’s Organization) speaks about the international community being in solidarity with Southern African countries, and asks for support for SWAPO’s continued struggle for liberation in Namibia. A member of the Zimbabwe admission to the United Nations speaks about the bonds formed between liberation fighters in Africa and internationally. He speaks about the leaders of ZANU (Zimbabwe African National Union), the ANC (African National Congress), and the PAC (Pan African Congress). He speaks on the history of the struggles for independence and human rights in Southern Africa, and the contued struggle for liberation. Sylvia Baraldini of the May 19th Communist Organization speaks on the National Campaign in solidarity with the ZANU Women’s League. She talks about the lessons of the struggle for liberation in Zimbabwe and looks at the process of reconstruction. A permanent representative of the PAC of Azania to the United Nations speaks about South Africa. He comments on South African president P.W. Botha’s refusal to erode Apartheid through economic means. He talks about a socialist solution incorporating equal distribution of wealth and power, and calls people to work together to fight oppression.
Kwame Ture on the history of black student revolutionary organizations Kwame Ture on the history of black student revolutionary organizations
Date: 3/22/1994Call Number: AFR 051Format: Cass A & BProgram: Student Organizing from 1960 to 1994Collection: Kwame Ture
Kwame Ture speaks about the history of black student revolutionary protest organizations such as SNCC (Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee) and the BPP (Black Panther Party). He talks about the oppression of the capitalist system in disorganizing black organizations. He explains how Africans are used to having a hard life and constantly struggling for freedom. Struggle makes you stronger, and brings progress. Ture calls people to push black consciousness and to talk about both the oppressed and the oppressor, so as to avoid blaming the oppressed in the end. He also talks about how it is the capitalist system’s job to instill ideas of inferiority in African Americans, but he calls people to fight inferiority, and to increase their consciousness of African contributions to America. Ture talks about how Africa was the first continent to unite different countries under the OAU (Organization of African Unity). Lastly, he speaks about African’s high level of unity in action, but not in thought, because of the prevalence of ignorance of the value of organizing.
Women in Prison Women in Prison
Call Number: PM 210Format: Cass A & BCollection: Prisons - Women
Intervew of Women in Prison, Dublin, CA 1995. Political prisoners Dylcia Pagan, Linda Evans, Ida Robinson, and Marilyn Buck are asked to speak about themselves and why they are in prison. The women also discuss the GATT (General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs), NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), the lack of wages and benefits for the poor and oppressed, and the wrongs of the IMF (International Monetary Fund). Ida Robinson speaks about families of ethnic minorities, and Marilyn Buck speaks about how political prisoners aren’t violent, they are just casualties during the conflict. The women discuss the state of the poor white woman, how is marginalized because no one is fighting for her and she has no representation.
Panel discussion on the crisis of racism, PART 1 Panel discussion on the crisis of racism, PART 1
Date: 5/1/1962Call Number: KP 094Format: Cass A & BProducers: Public Affairs Department of WBAI, Pacifica RadioCollection: Black Liberation
A panel discussion moderated by Murray Kempton, James Farmer, William Worthy, and Malcolm X, discussing the crisis of racism in the US. James Farmer, National Director of CORE (Congress of Racial Equality), speaks about the problems of hatred, racism, and exclusivity. He says that racism is the misuse of words that mean different things to different people, and is really the belief of the superiority of one race over another. William worthy, an American journalist, poses the question: if a Civil Rights Movement involves white money, does it betray the movement? He speaks about how serious racism is in America, and that whites need a devastating event to get them to overcome their set ways. Next, Malcolm X speaks about how it is impossible for black Americans to realize the same dream as whites. He also speaks about withstanding the racism if it means one could know and fight the enemy. Malcolm X tells the people that it is ok for black people in America to fight back in self-defense because theirs is the most colonized country in the world. The panel discussion ends with a question and answer session about racism and atrocities against blacks fighting for equality.
Interview of AZAPO Representative about the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa. Interview of AZAPO Representative about the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa.
Call Number: AFR 063AFormat: Cass ACollection: South Africa
Recorded off mic, poor recording Interview of a representative of AZAPO (Azanian People’s Organization) about AZAPO in South Africa. He speaks about how the racist Apartheid regime attempts to set up “independence” within the urban townships, or “homelands”, but how the homelands were rejected by the people of South Africa. He speaks about the oppression of blacks and how they have joined forces with coloreds and Indians to fight Apartheid, and describes the legal restrictions placed on black Africans.
Imperialist oppression in Southern African countries Imperialist oppression in Southern African countries
Date: 1/15/1982Call Number: AFR 066Format: Cass A & BCollection: African liberation movements
Judy Jensen of the Material Aid Campaign for ZANU makes a speech about Southern Africa. She speaks about ZANU’s defeat of white settler colonialism in Zimbabwe and also women’s contributions to the struggle. She discusses the different fronts in the war for the liberation of Southern Africa, and the struggle against the US’s attack on their independence. She talks about struggles in Namibia, South Africa’s control over Southern African countries, and calls for solidarity with Southern African countries. Lastly, she draws comparisons and similarities between the oppression of blacks in America and Africa. Next, Serge Mukendi, US Representative of the Workers and Peasants Movement of the Congo (MOP), speaks about weaknesses in natural and human resources in Africa because they are not in the hands of the Africans. He speaks about the struggles in Congo and tells the audience that it is our duty to strengthen the fight for liberation in Congo through support and solidarity. On Side B, Eve Rosahn, political activist, Students Against Government Misconduct, speaks about political activists for black liberation who have been tortured and beaten for their actions. Next, a member of the Anti-Springbok 5 chants “Up With Azania, Down With South Africa!”, and speaks about her experiences as an ASB-5, and tells the audience about the Springbok 5 and what they represent. The Springboks are an elite white supremacist South African rugby team traveling the US, representing the spread of white imperialism. Lastly, PAC (Pan African Congress) representative Jackie Mazibuko, speaks about white alliances between Ian Smith of Zimbabwe, the South African government, and the US in their oppression of black Africans. She also speaks about the land issues in Africa, and that all land originally, and still should, belong to black Africans, and that people must have the ideology of revolution to struggle against oppression.
Panel Discussion on the crisis of racism PART 2 Panel Discussion on the crisis of racism PART 2
Date: 5/1/1962Call Number: KP 095Format: Cass A & BProducers: Public Affairs Department of WBAI, and Pacifica RadioProgram: “The Crisis of Racism”Collection: Black Liberation
A Continuation of KP 094, A panel discussion on "The Crisis of Racism", with Malcolm X, James Farmer, and William Worthy. Moderated by Murray Kempton. Conclusion and Question and Answer period - Malcolm X answers questions from the audience about racism in America. James Farmer, the National Director of CORE (Congress of Racial Equality), speaks about the 500 years of racial oppression in America. Malcolm X speaks about being ready to die for liberation, and about how the American colonists were also labeled revolutionaries. Finally there's a speech by James Farmer about CORE and the responsibilities of the blacks today to do something and take action against white racism.
Women in Prison Women in Prison
Intervew of Women in Prison, Dublin, CA 1995. Political prisoners Dylcia Pagan, Linda Evans, Ida Robinson, and Marilyn Buck are asked to speak about themselves and why they are in prison. The women also discuss the GATT (General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs), NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), the lack of wages and benefits for the poor and oppressed, and the wrongs of the IMF (International Monetary Fund). Ida Robinson speaks about families of ethnic minorities, and Marilyn Buck speaks about how political prisoners aren’t violent, they are just casualties during the conflict. The women discuss the state of the poor white woman, how is marginalized because no one is fighting for her and she has no representation.
A Strategy for Struggle A Strategy for Struggle
Author: Ron KarengaPublisher: The Black ScholarDate: 11/1973Volume Number: NovemberFormat: ArticleCollection: Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA)
This article by Rob Karenga appears in the Black Scholar of November 1973. Karenga calls for liberation of Afroamericans by accessing "critical space" inside economic and political institutions. In his article he provides ways to meet objectives of the liberation struggle and comments on Pan-Africanism.