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

Paul Robeson Paul Robeson
Date: 2/24/1952Call Number: PR 054Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsCollection: Paul Robeson recordings
Paul Robeson, taped message to Marine Cooks and Stewards meeting on February 24, 1952: speaks to his union brothers and sings "Bill of Rights" a capella. Same as CD 288, track 1 & 2
Democracy Now!: The Best of Enemies: a story of friendship between a prominent member in the KKK and a Black Civil Rights activist Democracy Now!: The Best of Enemies: a story of friendship between a prominent member in the KKK and a Black Civil Rights activist
Date: 7/4/1996Call Number: KP 123Producers: Pacifica Radio ArchiveProgram: Democracy Now!Collection: General materials
A very interesting and inspiring interview between two friends brought together by their similarities after many years of highlighting their differences. CP Ellis was the Exalted Cyclops of the Durham, NC, Ku Klux Klan when he met Ann Atwater, a militant black community organizer. They were elected to organize the public school system through the AFL-CIO. While there was much hostility to their interactions, they soon learned that they shared many of the same problems as working/lower class citizens struggling in an impoverished school district. Their friendship grew from this connection and led Ellis to leave the KKK. He talks about the hardships he faced as a result of this. Also interviewed is Osha Gray Davidson author of The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South a book about the two’s friendship. This book was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1997.
AZAPO and conditions in Southern Africa AZAPO and conditions in Southern Africa
Call Number: AFR 081Format: Cass A & BCollection: South Africa
Program on AZAPO and the state of Southern Africa. AZAPO chairman Pokela, SWAPO representative, and AZAPO representative Nick Tucker speak. AZAPO (Azanian People’s Organization) chairman Pokela speaks about the lack of knowledge people in the United States and Europe have about the struggles in Azania. He also speaks about how the native African people lost their land and their rights to the white imperialists. He says that in order for Africans to fight back, they must remove their inferiority complexes (as Robert Sobukwe, former president of the PAC (Pan African Congress), suggests). He speaks about the injustices of the Pass Laws in South Africa, and encourages blacks to go to the prisons and challenge the police to arrest them. Next, a woman representative of SWAPO (South West African People’s Organization - dedicated to opposing injustice in Southern Africa) speaks about the problems of violence in South Africa, and also about the bloody war going on in Namibia. She speaks about the policy of “Destabilization” that was designed by the white Nationalists, and about the Western media’s perception, pressure, and influence on events in South Africa. Lastly, Nick Tucker of AZAPO speaks about AZAPO and the current events and conditions in Southern Africa, mourning the large number of murders in the area. He quotes Amilcar Cabral, “We should tell no lies and claim no easy victory”. Tucker speaks about two theories that determine revolutions: 1) To have a revolution, one must have a revolutionary theory and convey it to the masses. 2) Continued economic depression will heighten revolutionary anarchy and the masses will want to organize and revolt. He says that AZAPO is trying to do the former strategy. Lastly, Tucker speaks about the formation of black worker’s unions - that they form under Black Consciousness because black men can truly understand the hardships and oppression of other blacks, and can then translate that idea to whites.
El Salvador In Focus El Salvador In Focus
Date: 10/5/1989Call Number: LA 103Format: CassetteProducers: Judy GerberProgram: Radio El FarbeCollection: El Salvador
Salvadorian defense minister rejects Talia accord. No Negotiations between the Christiani Government and the FLMN. National UNTS union of workers demands negotiations based on human rights violations.
Poetry by Alejandra Degadillo & Report on the First Constitutional Convention of the United Farm Workers Poetry by Alejandra Degadillo & Report on the First Constitutional Convention of the United Farm Workers
The first half of this CD includes poetry read by Chicana poet Alejandra Delgadillo. Her poems include “La Lola”, “Lagrimas en la noche triste”, Vivir, morir”, “Lagraria de una Chicana”, & “Was I”. The second half of the CD is a report by Jose Maria Lopez on day one of the First Constitutional Convention of the United Farm Workers at the Falon Arena. Also included are interviews with various delegates from the conference including a farm workeer from Ohio, a Coca-Cola worker from Florida, and a delegate from Coachella. COPY of: 2nd half of CAA 019 & all of CAA 043
Vicki Garvin interview by Lincoln Bergman Vicki Garvin interview by Lincoln Bergman
Call Number: KP 149Format: CassetteProducers: Lincoln BergmenCollection: Garvin, Vicki
This is the first installment of an interview of labor organizer, Vicki Garvin, conducted by Lincoln Bergmen. In this volume Vickie speaks of growing up in Richmond, Virginia, her family’s exodus to Manhattan and the challenges of growing up black in New York during the depression. She describes here her beginnings in labor and union organizing and her opportunity to study economics at Smith College. She talks as well about working with Adam Clayton Powell on his campaign for state representative.
Vicki Garvin interview by Lincoln Bergman Vicki Garvin interview by Lincoln Bergman
Call Number: CD 326Format: CDProducers: Lincoln BergmenCollection: Garvin, Vicki
same as KP 149.This is the first installment of an interview of labor organizer, Vickie Garvin, conducted by Lincoln Bergmen. In this volume Vickie speaks of growing up in Richmond, Virgina, her family’s exodus to Manhattan and the challenges of growing up black in New York during the depression. She describes here her beginnings in labor and union organizing and her opportunity to study economics at Smith College. She talks as well about working with Adam Clayton Powell on his campaign for state representative.
Song for Cesar Song for Cesar
Date: 1/1/2006Call Number: V 565Format: DVDProducers: Andres AlegriaCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
Features interviews with Dolores Huerta, Co-founder of the UFW; Arturo Rodriguez, UFW President; Cesar's brother, Richard Chavez; Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Program Director CECF and Paul Chavez, President of the National Farmworkers Service Center. Music recorded by The Prophets with Jorge Santana and Abel Sanchez.
Nosotros Venceremos Nosotros Venceremos
Date: 1/1/1971Call Number: V 564Format: DVDProducers: Jon LewisCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
From a 16mm film made in 1971 by Jon Lewis, set to his photographs of the Unied Farm Workers in Delano and other locations in the Central Valley of California. Features Cesar Chavez.
Interview of workers organizing against Capwell's Department  Store Interview of workers organizing against Capwell's Department Store
Date: 11/2/1976Call Number: KP 215Format: Cass A & BCollection: General materials
Rosalie Jones, Alice Stanford, and George Edward Junior speak of gaining community support for their lawsuit against Capwell's Department Store and The Culinary Union, Local 28. After experiencing racism and sexism, the two women went to their union for support but were denied. Managers and union representatives began threatening the two women and their families to suppress the development of their suit.