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. 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.

Search Results

Chicago Lawyers Barred from Visiting Ind. Inmates Chicago Lawyers Barred from Visiting Ind. Inmates
Author: Cris CarmodyPublisher: Chicago Daily Law BulletinYear: 1992Format: ArticleCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Reproduction of article.
Prisons are About Racism Prisons are About Racism
Publisher: Committee to End the Marion LockdownYear: 1992Format: FlyerCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Flyer for 4/26/1992 forum on racism in the US prison system.
Lawyars Denied Access Lawyars Denied Access
Author: Joseph N. DiStefanoPublisher: Gary, Ill. Pose-TribuneYear: 1992Format: ArticleCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Reproduction of article.
Walkin' Steel Walkin' Steel
Publisher: Committee to End the Marion LockdownYear: 1992Volume Number: Vol. 1-3Format: PeriodicalCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
CEML newsletter. Includes: The Call for Joint Actions; The New Warden At Marion; Water Update; What is A Control unit Prison?; May Actions Against control Units; Horrors of Westville Control unit; Prisoners Demonstrate Solidarity; Pelican bay Prisoners Sue; People to Contact; Human Rights Watch Report; Get In Touch With CEML
No Racist War! No Racist Prisons! No Racist Society! No Racist War! No Racist Prisons! No Racist Society!
Publisher: Committee to End the Marion LockdownYear: 1992Format: CorrespondenceCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Pamphlet on race and the US prison system. Details genocidal practices.
Letter to Dan Dove Letter to Dan Dove
Publisher: Committee to End the Marion LockdownYear: 1992Format: CorrespondenceCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
CEML Response to BOP letter dated 8/15/1991. Covers inadequacies with BOP response, including: 1) Conditions of confinement 2) Who is at Marion, and who will be send to Florence? 3) Due Process. Part of packet (Enclosure 11).
Letter to William J. Hughes Letter to William J. Hughes
Author: Dan DovePublisher: Public AffairsYear: 1992Format: CorrespondenceCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Letter inquiring as to Hughes' non response to CEML letter sent 1/27/1992. Part of Packet.