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 We are also in the process of scanning and uploading thousands of historical documents which enrich our media holdings.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.

Panther 21

In April 1969, 21 members of the Black Panther Party in New York City were charged with conspiracy to kill several police officers and to destroy a number of buildings. After two years in the courts, all of the defendants were acquitted. This collection also contains records on Michael Tabor (1946-2010) was a member of the Black Panther Party who was tried as part of the Panther 21 conspiracy case. Four months into the trial Tabor and fled to Algeria. Despite his ultimate acquittal on all charges, Tabor remained in Algeria till his death.

Documents

Manifesto of the Panther 21 Manifesto of the Panther 21
Date: 3/1/1970Call Number: KP 013Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Committee to Defend Panther 21, Radio Free PeopleProgram: Seize the Time Series IICollection: Panther 21
An open letter to Judge John Murtaugh by Michael Cetewayo Tabor in response to Murtaugh’s request of the Panther 21 to obey his rules and keep complete silence during their trail in his courtroom. This manifesto response, spoken in the courtroom, gives a history of America since colonialism until present day 1970 through the African-American experience. Topics mentioned are: colonialism, slavery, the constitution, Amendments 13,14,15, the Reconstruction Era, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board, public segregation, COINTELPRO. Key people mentioned: NYC District Attorney Frank Hogan, Judge Charles Marks, Black Panthers Joan Mury and Lee Barry. Manifesto ends with each Panther 21 stating their name.
Manifesto of the Panther 21 [CD] Manifesto of the Panther 21 [CD]
Date: 3/1/1970Call Number: CD 408Format: CDProducers: Committee to Defend Panther 21, Radio Free PeopleProgram: Seize the Time Series IICollection: Panther 21
An open letter to Judge John Murtaugh by Michael Cetewayo Tabor in response to Murtaugh’s request of the Panther 21 to obey his rules and keep complete silence during their trail in his courtroom. This manifesto response, spoken in the courtroom, gives a history of America since colonialism until present day 1970 through the African-American experience. Topics mentioned are: colonialism, slavery, the constitution, Amendments 13,14,15, the Reconstruction Era, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board, public segregation, COINTELPRO. Key people mentioned: NYC District Attorney Frank Hogan, Judge Charles Marks, Black Panthers Joan Mury and Lee Barry. Manifesto ends with each Panther 21 stating their name.
Afeni Shakur Interview [CD] Afeni Shakur Interview [CD]
Date: 1/27/1972Call Number: CD 592Format: CDCollection: Panther 21
Afeni Shakur speaks about the Panther 21 Trial, the Black Panther Party, repression and prisons. Shakur was the keynote speaker at the first national conference for prison activists in California held at UC Berkeley.
Michael Cetawayo Tabor Michael Cetawayo Tabor
Date: 1/1/1970Call Number: KP 458AFormat: Cass AProducers: Alexander P. HoffmannCollection: Panther 21
Michael Cetawayo Tabor, New York Panther 21 and Black Panther leader gives an overview of US history from the point of view of Black people, bringing it up to the present of 1970.
Michael Cetawayo Tabor [CD] Michael Cetawayo Tabor [CD]
Date: 1/1/1970Call Number: CD 730Format: CDProducers: Alexander P. HoffmannCollection: Panther 21
Michael Cetawayo Tabor, New York Panther 21 and Black Panther leader gives an overview of US history from the point of view of Black people, bringing it up to the present of 1970.
Look For Me In the Whirlwind: The Collective Autobiography of the New York 21 Look For Me In the Whirlwind: The Collective Autobiography of the New York 21
Publisher: Vintage BooksYear: 1971Format: BookCollection: Panther 21
The Black Panther Party and the Case of the New York 21 The Black Panther Party and the Case of the New York 21
Publisher: Charter Group for a Pledge of ConscienceYear: 1965Format: MonographCollection: Panther 21
Opening section talks about FBI repression against the Black Panther Party and the social conditions, including police brutality, that necessitated the formation of the Panthers. It also provides a basic history of the Black Panther Party, highlights some of its national representatives and lays out the context of the Panther 21 case in New York City. It then goes deeper into the case of the Panther 21 and the legal maneuvers conducted by the prosecution and the defense. The final portion of the monograph is a list of 23 items taken from 48 major Panther-police incidents recorded by the ACLU.
The Plague The Plague
Author: Michael "Cetewayo" TaborPublisher: The Committee to Defend the Panther 21Format: ArticleCollection: Panther 21
Article by Michael Cetewayo Tabor of Panther 21 re: heroin
What do the Panthers stand for What do the Panthers stand for
Publisher: The Committee to Defend the Panther 21Format: MonographCollection: Panther 21
Detailed overview of the Panther 21 trial.
Capitalism Plus Dope Equals Genocide Capitalism Plus Dope Equals Genocide
Author: Michael "Cetewayo" TaborPublisher: The Black Panther X-pressYear: 1969Format: PamphletCollection: Panther 21
Writing by Michael Cetewayo Tabor on heroin and its effects on the Black community of Harlem (and in general) and the Black Panther Party's program to combat this plague.