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 Speaks at Marine Cooks & Stewards Union Paul Robeson Speaks at Marine Cooks & Stewards Union
Collection: Paul Robeson recordings
Sample of Paul Robeson, the great African-American Singer and activist, in a rare recording, takes from a speech to a union gathering in San Francisco.
Voices from Radio Habana Cuba Voices from Radio Habana Cuba
Producers: Radio RebeldeCollection: Cuba
Sample from actual broadcast of Radio Rebelde, the clandestine station of the Cuban Revolution. The announcer introduces Fidel Castro, who calls for a general strike to defeat the Batista tyranny.
Red Stockings Red Stockings
Publisher: The Freedom ArchivesFormat: mp3Collection: Gender and Sexuality
Redstockings, also known as Redstockings of the Women\'s Liberation Movement, is a radical feminist group that was founded in January 1969.
Ruchell Magee Ruchell Magee
Producers: Mark SchwartzCollection: Ruchell Magee
Ruchell Magee, sole survivor of the Marin Couthouse rebellion. he based his defense on the right to rebel, from the court decision on the Amistad slave ship, since made famous by the Spielberg film. Ruchell Magee remains in prison. This excerpt is from many prison related reports by Mark Schwartz.
Pres. Allende UN Speech Sample Pres. Allende UN Speech Sample
Collection: Chile
Chilean President Salvador Allende speaks to the United Nations, denouncing the effects of colonialism.
Excerpt from SLA Support Rally Excerpt from SLA Support Rally
Publisher: KPFAFormat: mp3Collection: Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA)
Excerpt taken from KPFA Memorial Show for the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) 6/17/1974.
On the History of Lesbianism On the History of Lesbianism
Author: Judy GrahnProducers: Barbara Lubinski, Heber DreherCollection: Gender and Sexuality
Poet Judy Grahn recited one of her best known poems "On the History of Lesbianism".
Estadio Chile - Message of hope in spite of the horror Estadio Chile - Message of hope in spite of the horror
Collection: Chile
Excerpt from interview by Nina Serrano with Joan Jara, the wife of Victor Jara, discussing his life. Joan reads a poem entitled, Estadio Chile - Message of hope in spite of the horror.
Vietnam Victory in Berkeley Vietnam Victory in Berkeley
Publisher: The Freedom ArchivesFormat: mp3Collection: Vietnam
This clip is a compilation of various peoples reactions to the Fall of Saigon and the victory of the North Vietnamese.
Legacy of Torture: Trailer Legacy of Torture: Trailer
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesCollection: Freedom Archives Productions
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�namo and Abu Ghraib. In 1975, a Federal Court in San Francisco threw out all of the evidence obtained in New Orleans. The two lead San Francisco Police Department investigators from over 30 years ago, along with FBI agents, have re-opened the case. Rather than submit to proceedings they felt were abusive of the law and the Constitution, five men chose to stand in contempt of court and were sent to jail. They were released when the Grand Jury term expired, but have been told by prosecutors that "it isn't over yet."