What is a People’s Archive?
What is an Archive?
An archive is a place where physical or digital information is collected, organized and preserved to create a historical record and provide educational materials. It allows for long-term storage of and easy access to information.
What is a Community Archive?
Many archives are established by more traditional institutions like universities, government entities, or libraries. A Community Archive is usually a product of grassroots organizing, people coming together to uplift and validate perspectives that otherwise might be forgotten or intentionally hidden. It shifts the power back to and gives heart to the community.
What is an Activist Archive?
An Activist Archive is a community archive combined with advocacy. It can be a powerful tool in the struggle for justice because it intentionally puts the abuses perpetrated on oppressed people before the public. Activist archives provide exposure, shining a spotlight on false narratives spun by the media and the powers that be.
People’s Archive of Police Violence in Cleveland, an activist archive, is dedicated to presenting factual evidence and personal stories from Cuyahoga County. It exposes how the media often works in tandem with law enforcement, the courts, and elected officials to blame the victim and exonerate the murdering police.
How To Use This Archive
Each “Item” below includes either a downloadable file or a video embedded from our Youtube channel.
The photos and videos posted may be used freely for non-commercial purposes, provided that the author, such as the videographer, photographer, or writer, is cited whenever they are used. (Submissions to the Archive are covered by a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International Public License.)
Items also include Categories that tell what type of Item it is, plus Tags that indicate the Item’s subject matter. Click on a Category or Tag to see other similar Items.
You can also use the Search field at the top right of Right the Record to search the archive.
