Draft:The Freedom Archives

Overview

The Freedom Archives is a nonprofit, educational archive that preserves and makes available historical audio, video, and print materials documenting progressive movements and culture from the 1960s to the 1990s. They produce original documentaries and educational materials for schools and community organizations intending to promote social justice.

The materials housed at the Freedom Archives-over 12,000 hours of audio and video recordings-includes: weekly news, poetry, music programs; in-depth interviews and reports on social and cultural issues and recordings of diverse demonstrations and activists. At the same time, they have scanned and catalogued thousands of historic documents, pamphlets, journals, newspapers, and other print materials from thousands of radical organizations and movements. [1]

The Freedom Archives do not accept any money from the government or corporate sources, and their budget consists of small grants, family funds, and individual donations. This has been stated by Claude Marks, the director of The Freedom Archives in an interview, "We are very much a grassroots organization. We have no corporate or government funding." [2]

History

During the 90s,a group of young people in the San Francisco Bay Area produced a radio programme dedicated to documenting people’s history, anti-colonial struggles, and social movements of the era between the mid-1960s. They were broadcast over KPFA and the Pacifica Network, as well as on KPOO radio based in San Francisco. The vast majority of these programs were independently produced by collective groupings, all to advocate against atrocities and anti-imperialism, human rights, and internationalism, and highlight marginalized voices with the aim to ensure that their voices are taken into account. In the late 1990s, the project inspired many at the time, saving them from further deterioration and disdain, and making their historical value and lessons accessible which therefore lead to the launch of The Freedom Archives. [3]

Digital collections

The Freedom Archive's digital collection stored moving images and audio recordings from the 1970s and 1980s. The digital collection contains protest footage and interviews related to topics like Pan African Congress and International Women's Day. [4] They have released Vinyl projects, Wild Poppies, Pual Robeson: Words Of Freedom, Chile and Prisoners On Fire.[5]

Audience and visablilty

The Freedom Archives has become a national and international resource of media of particular interest to youth and students. Their target audience segments varied from community organizations, media outlets, filmmakers, activists, historians, artists, and researchers. They have developed a full yearly production of original documentaries and educational media that go directly into use within schools and as tools for community building.

They have forged productive, collaborative, and reciprocal partnerships and project-based relationships with several youth organizations, area high schools, community colleges, and 4-year colleges and universities. Since 2003, hundreds of young people have gone through the archives via their program. [6]

Staff members, founders and contributers

Claude Marksis the Director of The Freedom Archives. He has also released a documentary film, titled COINTELPRO 101 which premiered at the Mission Cultural Center of Latino Arts in San Francisco. It has received recognition from Lenore Daniels, Jared Ball and Ron Jacobs.[7] Nathaniel Moore was an archivist who has also contributed to the programme. Moore has worked with the Freedom Archives since 2012. He majored in African-American Studies, and Library and Information Science. As mentioned in the official page of The Freedom Archives, Danielle nanos-luzis a staff member. She received her M.S. in Library & Information Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. [8]

Andres Alegria is one of the leading video editors. He has worked with all of the producers in the Freedom Archives, from the early 1970s to the present and has contributed to the Archives’ latest film, 'Symbols of Resistance'. Nancy Barrett is one of the founders and activists who has worked with Claude Marks and Lincoln Bergman, a poet and a radio journalist. She has also directed an AIDS clinic with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Heber Dreher, Emiliano Echeverria, Barbara Lubinski, Kiilu Nyasha, and Nina Serrano have also helped run the archive organisation. [9]

Emory Douglas, Carli Lowe, Deb Schneider, Walter Turner and Eddie Yuen are board members. [10]