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, specifcally AND/+, NOT/-, and OR operators. 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.
Welcome to the Freedom Archives' Digital Search Engine.The Freedom Archives contains over 12,000 hours of audio and video recordings which date from the late-1960s to the mid-90s and chronicle the progressive history of the Bay Area, the United States, and international movements. We are also in the process of scanning and uploading thousands of historical documents which enrich our media holdings. Our collection includes weekly news, poetry, music programs; in-depth interviews and reports on social and cultural issues; numerous voices from behind prison walls; diverse activists; and pamphlets, journals and other materials from many radical organizations and movements.

Independent Collections

A major component of the original collection Freedom Archives was the Real Dragon, Nothing is More Precious Than, and Freedom is a Constant Struggle news programs. These programs were created by collectives of independent radio journalists who were often involved in local, regional and national political organizing and movement work. There are over 500 total audio materials in these three sub-collections and represent over 30 years of Bay Area generated grassroots radio work.  

Additionally, the Freedom Archives holds almost 1,000 radio recordings produced by Colin Edwards. Colin Edwards (1924–1994) was an outstanding internationalist journalist from Wales who did important on-the-scene interviews and documentaries on anti-imperialist national liberation struggles in the Middle East, especially Palestine, on Asia, particularly Vietnam, and on many other struggles, including the civil rights, Black Power, and student antiwar movements and Free Speech Movement in the US.  

Finally, there are sub-collections on the struggle to save the I-Hotel from developers; the Paul Robeson Show and Art Sato's jazz program. 

Subcollections

  • Art Sato: In Your Ear
    Art Sato: In Your Ear
    In Your Ear represents nearly 40 years of in-depth exclusive interviews by Art Sato with innovative practitioners of jazz and Latin music. The interviews contain insights and analyses of jazz music and culture not found in other references on the subject.
  • BLU Magazine
    BLU Magazine
    BLU was a forward-thinking journal of revolutionary culture composed of a mix of political thought, artistic feeling and musical commentary.
  • Buttons
    Buttons
    This collection contains a variety of buttons and pins from many different struggles and issues.
  • Colin Edwards Collection
    Colin Edwards Collection
    Materials representing the life-work and journalism of a Welsh radio correspondent and journalist who covered anti-imperialist national liberation struggles across the globe, working for Pacifica Radio, the BBC and many other broadcasters.
  • Cultural Workers Movement
    Cultural Workers Movement
    This collection contains materials related to the effort to form a committed revolutionary and anti-imperialist cultural front with cultural workers movements in California in the 1970s.
  • Freedom is a Constant Struggle
    Freedom is a Constant Struggle
    The Freedom Is A Constant Struggle collection extends from February 1976 to August 1995. It continues the weekly summary of international, national, and local struggles on many fronts, interspersed with poetry and music.
  • General materials
    Audio materials covering a wide variety of topics.
  • Health Justice
    Health Justice
    This collection contains audio and print materials related to health, medical experimentation, psychiatric confinement, and medical care in prison.
  • International Hotel (I-Hotel) Anti-Eviction Organizing Materials
    International Hotel (I-Hotel) Anti-Eviction Organizing Materials
    From 1968 to 1977, the majority Filipino and Chinese residents of the International Hotel resisted eviction from their homes and called on city leaders to provide low-rent housing that allowed people to continue to live in their communities.
  • International Hotel (I-Hotel) Struggle
    International Hotel (I-Hotel) Struggle
    This collection contains extensive and unique audio recorded during interviews with residents of the I-Hotel as well as hundreds of documents from the community organizing efforts to keep people in their homes.
  • La Lucha Continua: a talking mural in San Francisco
    La Lucha Continua: a talking mural in San Francisco
    "La Lucha Continua/The Struggle Continues" is the result of a 3 year collaboration between Susan Greene and Freedom Archives.
  • Nothing is More Precious Than…
    Nothing is More Precious Than…
    KPFA weekly news program running from 1973-1976 featuring in-depth coverage of liberation struggles around the world.
  • Programs produced by Kiilu Nyasha
    Programs produced by Kiilu Nyasha
    Kiilu Nyasha is a revolutionary journalist and former member of the Black Panther Party. Kiilu still hosts Freedom Is A Constant Struggle, which now appears as a TV program.
  • Research Files
    Research Files
    Miscellaneous research files including clippings and publications on specific topics.
  • Struggles for Housing
    Struggles for Housing
    Contains materials related to various localized struggles against displacement, poor housing conditions, eviction, and gentrification. The contents primarily consists of of different periodicals with features focused on housing struggles.
  • The Paul Robeson Show
    The Paul Robeson Show
    The Paul Robeson Show, 1982–1985. First and only regularly scheduled series devoted to the life, music, and accomplishments of this great artist and activist.
  • The Real Dragon
    The Real Dragon
    Real Dragon was a radio program broadcast on KPFA from 1971-1973. This news show focused on issues of national liberation, political prisoners, Vietnam and other major national and international topics.
  • Third World News Bureau

Documents

Nothing Is More Precious Than Nothing Is More Precious Than
Date: 11/6/1973Call Number: NI 005 R2Format: Reel 2Producers: Claude Marks, Nancy BarrettProgram: Nothing Is More Precious ThanCollection: Nothing is More Precious Than…
Lincoln Bergman report from Havana, annual ceremony of throwing flowers into the sea in memory of Camilo Cienfuegos. Continuing fascist repression in Chile, mobilization of resistance forces beginning. Report on an interview with Miguel Enriquez, leader of the MIR—“those who make only half a revolution, dig their own graves.” Roundup of revolutionary activities throughout Latin America—Uruguay (the Tupamaros)—Argentina—Brazilian military maneuvers, guerrillas seize police station—Peru seeks nationalization of US Cerro de Pasco corporation—Latin American energy ministers meet (Venezuela considers nationalization)—wave of kidnappings in Mexico, reactionary violence in Mexico—USIA paid to stop the showing of Sacco and Vanzetti film in Mexico. Panama, Torrijos—United Fruit/Xerox/Chase Manhattan cultural penetrations. Massive student strikes in Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus shut down, amidst intensified campaign to free the nationalist Puerto Rican political prisoners—strikes in Colombia, offensive against guerrillas failing—reports on the horrible blood business in many Latin American countries.
Nothing Is More Precious Than Nothing Is More Precious Than
Date: 8/2/1975Call Number: NI 075 R2Format: Reel 2Producers: Claude Marks, Lincoln BergmanProgram: Nothing Is More Precious ThanCollection: Nothing is More Precious Than…
Program focuses on several major stories: start of the San Quentin 6 trial, start of Joanne Little trial in North Carolina with actuality, taped message from underground of Abby Hoffman, and stories on Latin America and American Indian Movement.
Nothing Is More Precious Than Nothing Is More Precious Than
Date: 7/12/1975Call Number: NI 074 R2Format: Reel 2Producers: Claude Marks, Lincoln Bergman, Mark Schwartz, Melinda RorickProgram: Nothing Is More Precious ThanCollection: Nothing is More Precious Than…
Entire program a recorded interview with Pat Swinton (Shoshana) who was arrested by the FBI in March 1975 after being underground for some years.
Real Dragon Real Dragon
Date: 8/25/1973Call Number: RD 060 R2Format: Reel 2Producers: Lincoln Bergman, Claude MarksProgram: Real DragonCollection: The Real Dragon
The LAST Real Dragon program and explains the change to the next iteration of the program - Nothing Is More Precious Than...
Year-End show 1972 Year-End show 1972
Date: 12/31/1972Call Number: RD 027 R2Format: Reel 2Producers: Lincoln Bergman, Claude MarksProgram: Real Dragon Collection: The Real Dragon
Includes commentary on: Indo-Chinese Victories (demonstrations around the world, liberation of territories, destruction of puppet army, US northwest train stoppages and sailors refusing to go to war) Japan (Tanaka takes Sato's place in power, movement against US war in Indochina grows, Okinawa struggle - US cedes island back to Japan yet keeps military bases) Philippines (New People's Army grows, Muslim resistance, Marcos imposes marital law) South Korea (Park Chung Hee imposes martial law, his opponents executed) Portugese colonial governments push fascism, use napalm and other tactics in Angola Mozambique, Guinea Bissau Ireland (Bloody Sunday occurs, where British troops murder demonstrators in Northern Ireland, detention of IRA suspects without trial, MacStiofain imprisoned, US Irish supporters attacked by grand juries) Brazil (US imperial forces use Brazilian cliques to squash liberation struggles, genocide against Indigenous peoples, Comandante Marcia killed) UN Special Committee on Colonialism (from which US resigned months before) classifies Puerto Rico as a colony Indigenous People takeover US Bureau of Indian Affairs office in Washington DC, mass refusals to accept government payments for land by Pit River Indians, Angela Davis acquitted of charges brought against in her in relation to Aug 7 Marin County Courthouse uprising, Prop 22 defeated - a victory for Farm Workers, restoration of the US death penalty, court upholds Organized Crime Control Act used against radicals, surveillance techniques employed in high schools and on streets of poor communities of color, Hoover dies and Patrick Grey steps in to "streamline and modernize FBI," Nixon strikes deals in Moscow (then Soviet Union) including Arms Limitation, grain and oil deals, push for global capitalism - Pepsi first US drink to be made and marketed in S.U., Nixon re-elected. Actuality includes Billy Dean Smith, Ramsey Clark, Thai Binh, MacStoifain, Allende, Angela, Ruchell (EXCELLENT!!), Talamantez
Nothing Is More Precious Than Nothing Is More Precious Than
Date: 10/26/1974Call Number: NI 044 R2Format: Reel 2Producers: Claude Marks, Nancy BarrettProgram: Nothing Is More Precious ThanCollection: Nothing is More Precious Than…
Program produced for rebroadcast-an extended report on the Boston busing-integration struggles, with much actuality and reporting from Boston by Dave Lampel of WLIB New York.
Nothing Is More Precious Than Nothing Is More Precious Than
Date: 9/28/1974Call Number: NI 040 R2Format: Reel 2Producers: Claude Marks, Mark Schwartz, Nancy BarrettProgram: Nothing Is More Precious ThanCollection: Nothing is More Precious Than…
Rebroadcast of a portion of 9/28/1974 program on The Week of Concern, demanding no more aid to the Thieu regime in Vietnam and enforcement of the Paris peace agreement.