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

Legacy of Torture Legacy of Torture
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesCollection: Black Panther Party general
In 2005 several former members of the Black Panther were held in contempt and jailed for refusing to testify before a San Francisco Grand Jury investigating a police shooting that took place in 1971. The government alleged that Black radical groups were involved in the 34-year old case in which two men armed with shotguns attacked the Ingleside Police Station resulting in the death of a police sergeant and the injuring of a civilian clerk. In 1973, thirteen alleged "Black militants" were arrested in New Orleans, purportedly in connection with the San Francisco events. Some of them were tortured for several days by law enforcement authorities, in striking similarity to the horrors visited upon detainees in Guant
Marilyn Buck - a Tribute Marilyn Buck - a Tribute
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesCollection: Marilyn Buck
Marilyn talks about how she grew into her won as a revolutionary, her experience in the anti-Vietnam and Black Liberation movements. She speaks to the revolutionary state where everyone has the right to their own culture, land, and means of production, and how the liberation of women is intrinsically tied to the liberation of all nations.
Charisse Shumate: Fighting for Our Lives Charisse Shumate: Fighting for Our Lives
Publisher: Freedom Archives; California Coalition for Women PrisonersCollection: Gender and Sexuality
This 37-minute video was created in collaboration with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners and focuses on the life of Charisse Shumate and women in California state prisons. It includes amazing prison interviews as well as materials from State Senate hearings on conditions for women in the California State Prison System and historical video footage of Charisse and her family.
Geronimo Ji Jaga from Cointelpro 101 Geronimo Ji Jaga from Cointelpro 101
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesCollection: Cointelpro
Interviews with Geronimo Ji Jaga Pratt, Catherine Campbell and others on the Federal Government's targeting of Pratt for his involvement with he Black Panther Party.
Geronimo Ji Jaga from Cointelpro 101 Geronimo Ji Jaga from Cointelpro 101
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesProgram: COINTELPRO 101Collection: Geronimo Pratt
On Geronimo Ji Jaga involvement with the Los Angeles Panther Party and the FBI's COINTELPRO efforts to repress movement building and frame Geronimo Ji Jaga.
Geronimo Ji Jaga in San Quentin on self defense Geronimo Ji Jaga in San Quentin on self defense
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesProducers: Lisa Rudman, Judy Gerber, Prentis Hemphill, Claude Marks, Isaac OntiverosCollection: Geronimo Pratt
Geronimo Ji Jaga Pratt connects his experiences in Vietnam to the treatment of Black folks in the US and speaks about self defense.
Geronimo Ji Jaga on Black Liberation Geronimo Ji Jaga on Black Liberation
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesCollection: Geronimo Pratt
Geronimo Ji Jaga discusses SNCC organizing throughout the country, working with the Deacons for Defense and the Black Panthers. G also discusses growing up in the Black Nation and fighting the Klan.
Geronimo Ji Jaga on Black Liberation Geronimo Ji Jaga on Black Liberation
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesCollection: Geronimo Pratt
Geronimo Ji Jaga explains the emergence of the Black Panther party as a small piece of the Black Liberation movement.
Geronimo Ji Jaga release in 1997 - news footage Geronimo Ji Jaga release in 1997 - news footage
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesProducers: Pam MooreProgram: KRON Channel 2 NewsCollection: Geronimo Pratt
Bay area news story on Pratt's release.
Cointelpro's Attacks Against The Chicano Movement Cointelpro's Attacks Against The Chicano Movement
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesCollection: Xican@
COINTELPRO may not be a well-understood acronym but its meaning and continuing impact are absolutely central to understanding the government’s wars and repression against progressive movements. COINTELPRO represents the state’s strategy to prevent movements and communities from overturning white supremacy and creating racial justice. COINTELPRO is both a formal program of the FBI and a term frequently used to describe a conspiracy among government agencies—local, state, and federal—to destroy movements for self-determination and liberation for Black, Brown, Asian, and Indigenous struggles, as well as mount an institutionalized attack against allies of these movements and other progressive organizations.