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 We are also in the process of scanning and uploading thousands of historical documents which enrich our media holdings.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

Videos – camera originals and reference materials

Documents

Ghosts of Attica (Finecut) Ghosts of Attica (Finecut)
Date: 1/1/2001Call Number: V 034Format: VHSProducers: David Van Taylor, Brad Lichtenstein, Lumier ProductionsCollection: Videos – camera originals and reference materials
GHOSTS OF ATTICA offers the definitive account of America's most violent prison rebellion, its suppression, and the days of torture that ensued. Using exclusive, newly uncovered video of the assault, interviews with eyewitnesses who've never spoken before on-camera, and footage of inmates and hostages throughout their battles against the state, this film unravels one of America's deepest cover-ups, and shows how the legendary prison riot transformed the lives of its survivors. This stirring documentary features extensive interviews with Attica survivors, including former inmate Frank "Big Black" Smith, Mike Smith, who was a guard who was taken hostage and subsequently wounded by police fire, and Elizabeth Fink, the attorney who headed the inmates' decades-long legal battles against New York State. Other interviews include those with New York Times columnist Tom Wicker, Congressman Herman Badillo, Assemblyman Arthur Eve, and civil rights lawyer William Kunstler.
Behind the Burning Cross, Racism USA Behind the Burning Cross, Racism USA
Date: 1/1/1991Call Number: V 130Format: VHSProducers: John Brown Anti-Klan Committee, George LippmanCollection: Videos – camera originals and reference materials
This brief history of the most notorious hate groups in the U.S. not only provides some interesting background on the Ku Klux Klan and its origins as a tool for rolling back the African-Americans' gains of the reconstruction period but also portrays its widespread activities today and its links with Nazi and nativist skinheads. Examines the violence being used by these hate groups in the 1990's to further racism, anti-semitism, gay-bashing, nativism and pushing back the womens movement. Footage of interviews with David Duke and Tom Metzger reveals their efforts to repackage hate within the bosom of so-called "All American Values." Examines the phenomenon of "white" rock'n roll and the right-wing media establishment to mobilize whites against blacks, gays, foreigners and Jews. Quickly examines the relationships between the FBI and the Klan. Also shows that many skinheads condemn the fascist skinhead movement.
Public Enema Public Enema
Date: 11/13/1990Call Number: V 299Format: UmaticProducers: Claude MarksCollection: Videos – camera originals and reference materials
A short documentary about youth who clandestinely post political art throughout Pittsburgh, PA. The creative works are photocopied and distributed to challenge people's thinking about art and politics. Produced by Claude Marks (then living as Greg Peters while he was living underground and as a fugitive), with Paul Martello and Ping.
Public Enema - digital Public Enema - digital
Date: 11/13/1990Call Number: V 301Format: Mini DVProducers: Claude MarksCollection: Videos – camera originals and reference materials
A short documentary about youth who clandestinely post political art throughout Pittsburgh, PA. The creative works are photocopied and distributed to challenge people's thinking about art and politics. Produced by Claude Marks (then living as Greg Peters while he was living underground and as a fugitive), with Paul Martello and Ping. Digital of Camera Original 1, Master and copy
Public Enema Public Enema
Date: 11/13/1990Call Number: V 304Format: Mini DVProducers: Claude MarksCollection: Videos – camera originals and reference materials
A short documentary about youth who clandestinely post political art throughout Pittsburgh, PA. The creative works are photocopied and distributed to challenge people's thinking about art and politics. Produced by Claude Marks (then living as Greg Peters while he was living underground and as a fugitive), with Paul Martello and Ping.
Public Enema - Digital Public Enema - Digital
Date: 10/30/1990Call Number: V 304Format: Mini DVProducers: Claude MarksCollection: Videos – camera originals and reference materials
Digital of Dub Digital of Camera Original 2
Public Enema - digital [DVD] Public Enema - digital [DVD]
Date: 11/13/1990Call Number: V 933Format: DVDProducers: Claude MarksCollection: Videos – camera originals and reference materials
A short documentary about youth who clandestinely post political art throughout Pittsburgh, PA. The creative works are photocopied and distributed to challenge people's thinking about art and politics. Produced by Claude Marks (then living as Greg Peters while he was living underground and as a fugitive), with Paul Martello and Ping. Digital of Camera Original 1, Master and copy
Bruce Wright on racism Bruce Wright on racism
Date: 11/4/1989Call Number: V 397Format: VHSProducers: KonnectionsCollection: Videos – camera originals and reference materials
Lecture by Bruce Wright, judge, scholar, poet and activist for social justice. Using his own experience as a Black man, he describes the history of US racism and the criminal justice system. Transcript available for download.
Public Enema [DVD] Public Enema [DVD]
Date: 11/13/1990Call Number: V 957Format: DVDProducers: Claude MarksCollection: Videos – camera originals and reference materials
A short documentary about youth who clandestinely post political art throughout Pittsburgh, PA. The creative works are photocopied and distributed to challenge people's thinking about art and politics. Produced by Claude Marks (then living as Greg Peters while he was living underground and as a fugitive), with Paul Martello and Ping.
Back from Nicaragua Back from Nicaragua
Date: 1/1/1984Call Number: V 535Format: VHSProducers: Nina Serrano, Valerie LandauProgram: KTEHCollection: Videos – camera originals and reference materials
Documentary featuring Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Holly Near and the Looters.