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 We are also in the process of scanning and uploading thousands of historical documents which enrich our media holdings.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

Comunicacion Aztlan Collective

The Comunicacion Aztlan Collective was active during the early 1970s and produced many memorable recordings. Most of the activities of Comunicacion Aztlan collective were centered at KPFA-FM in Berkeley. This collection is comprised of oral history, poetry, dramatic readings, and music, with a wide range of topics and issues. Programs produced by the collective include:

  • Reflecciones de la Raza- One of Northern California's first bi-lingual community radio programs.
  • Como Mis Antepasados- Documentary series with Latino and Latin American perspectives, historic and political analysis with poetry, dramatic reading, actualities and oral history. 
  • This collection also contains selections from Unidos; 3rd World Now; 3rd World Special; 3rd World News; and KPFA News. 

Topics of focus include: The Convention of El Partido de La Raza Unida (El Paso, Texas Sept. 1-4, 1972); United Farm-Workers demonstrations, poetry, speeches, songs, Cesar Chavez, benefits and interviews; Prison Movement poetry, interviews and analysis; International issues in Cuba, Chile, Central America, and Mexico; The September 11th 1973 Coup in Chile; Wounded Knee- reports from Native American Struggle; Community issues such as education, housing, police brutality, labor issues, welfare, development and health; Culture including poetry, dramatic readings, interviews and events. 

Subcollections

  • Political issues of the time (CAP)
    Political issues of the time (CAP)
    This collection derives from radio programming at KPFA during the early 1970s. Major topics of focus are the 1973 coup in Chile and the Chicano student movement and the Crusade for Justice.
  • Como Mis Antepasados (CMA)
    Documentary Series. Historic and political analysis. Latino, and latin American perspectives. With music, poetry, dramatic reading, actualities, and oral history. June 1973-September 1974.
  • Arts, literature and poetry (CAA)
    Arts, literature and poetry (CAA)
    This collection is comprised of oral history, poetry, dramatic readings, and music. Topics of focus include United Farmworkers, Central and South America, the 1973 coup in Chile, Wounded Knee, Bay Area community issues and Chican@/Latin@ culture.
  • Reflecciones de la Raza (RP)
    Reflecciones de la Raza (RP)
    Broadcast from November 1971- November 1974, “Reflecciones de la Raza,” one of Northern California's first bilingual community radio programs. The program included call-ins, music, interviews, poetry, events, and coverage of current issues.

Documents

D.Q.U. - Asian and Black Poetry [MP3] D.Q.U. - Asian and Black Poetry [MP3]
Call Number: null Format: mp3Collection: Political issues of the time (CAP)
Poem taken from DQU seminar.
Critica by Tomas Vigil (in Spanish) [mp3] Critica by Tomas Vigil (in Spanish) [mp3]
Call Number: null Format: mp3Collection: Political issues of the time (CAP)
Tomas Vigil, from New Mexico, reads poems in Spanish to an audience about racism and critique on the U.S.
Marche by Tomas Vigil [mp3] Marche by Tomas Vigil [mp3]
Call Number: null Format: mp3Collection: Political issues of the time (CAP)
Tomas Vigil, from New Mexico, reads poems in Spanish to an audience about racism and critique on the U.S.
Nation by Tomas Vigil (in Spanish) [mp3] Nation by Tomas Vigil (in Spanish) [mp3]
Call Number: null Format: mp3Collection: Political issues of the time (CAP)
Tomas Vigil, from New Mexico, reads poems in Spanish to an audience about racism and critique on the U.S.
Festival de Sexto Sol: Palace of the Fine Arts (video clip) Festival de Sexto Sol: Palace of the Fine Arts (video clip)
Date: 3/31/1974Call Number: null Format: Video ClipCollection: Comunicacion Aztlan Collective
The Festival de Sexto Sol was an important series of events bringing together Chicano and Latino poets to create a new artistic aesthetic and consciousness; a link between creation, art, and tradition of the Aztec and Mayans. This event took place at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco in 1974. Live poetry reading, includes: Nina Serrano accompanied on guitar by Philip Serrano, Philip Serrano sings original Allende Song, Alejandro Murguia, reading from novel: “Summer of Vera Cruz” in 3 languages, Fernando Alegria accompanied by Alurista, Victor Hernandez Cruz reads a two-part poem. Second part is cut off. (CAA 018). Complete tape is same as CD 376 and part of it is repeated on this cd.