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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

Puerto Rico status Puerto Rico status
Date: 9/9/1989Call Number: JG/ 003Format: CassetteProducers: Judy GerberCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
ACLA show, Just Peace Today Program, Bill Crossman from the Free PR committee on upcoming US government referendum on PR's status.
Gay & Lesbian Programming Gay & Lesbian Programming
Call Number: JG/ 031Format: CassetteProducers: Judy GerberCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Part of eight hours of programming put together by Judy Gerber on Gays and Lesbians. Great into song "Glory, Glory I'm a Homosexual". Interview with Carlos Ortiz, a Puerto Rican Independista and member of National committee to free Puerto Rican Political Prisoners. Ortiz discuss the Stonewall riots, AIDS work in Puerto Rican community, and repression and acceptance of homosexuality in the national liberation movement. Also interview with Carmen Vasquez a Puerto Rican Independista and member of GLTF. Music from local Atlanta gay/lesbian bands. Interview with Bill Haskill of ACT UP SF on the investigation NC senator Jesse Helms instigated against ACT UP.
Female Political Prisoners - series of interviews Female Political Prisoners - series of interviews
Call Number: JG/ 070Format: CassetteProducers: Judy Gerber, Lisa RudmanProgram: KPFACollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
This is a collection of different interviews and recordings of female political prisoners from around the world. Lisa Rudman collages them together to show the injustice towards political prisoners and to highlight some of the many tactics used by the US government and prison system to get information out of political prisoners. Rudman defines political prisoners and interviews Laura Whitehorn and Linda Evans and speaks about their cases and the circumstances leading to their imprisonment. The other political prisoners interviewed on the tape are: Dora Garcia, active in the national liberation struggles in the US colony of Puerto Rico; Mercedes Algado, a refugee active in the FSLM and FDR in El Salvador; Elizabeth Sebego, active in the Pan African Congress; Assata Shakur, active with the Black Panthers and now a refugee in Cuba; a Filipina imprisoned for her work with the church.
Florence Prison and the Fight to Free Oscar Lopez Florence Prison and the Fight to Free Oscar Lopez
Date: 1/20/1995Call Number: JG/ 075AFormat: Cass AProducers: Judy GerberProgram: A Defiant HeartCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Lugo Lopez and Alejandro Molina of the National Committee to Free Puerto Rican Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War (Chicago) protesting the imprisonment of Oscar Lopez, sentenced to 75+ years on seditious conspiracy charges for his political work in Puerto Rico.
Wishlist of Political Prisoner Pardons, 1994 Wishlist of Political Prisoner Pardons, 1994
Call Number: JG/ 086BFormat: Cass BProducers: Judy GerberProgram: A Defiant HeartCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Wish list of New Year's resolutions for Bill Clinton focusing on political prisoners and prisoners of war, 1994. Eulogy for AIDs activist Michael Callen. Requests for the retrial and/or pardoning of political prisoners Leonard Peltier, Geronimo Pratt, Mumia Abu Jamal, and Silvia Baraldini and for the pardoning of Puerto Rican prisoners of war, with background information on each of their situations.
International Human Rights Day, 1994 International Human Rights Day, 1994
Date: 12/2/1994Call Number: JG/ 088AFormat: Cass AProducers: Judy GerberProgram: A Defiant HeartCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Interview with Judy Siff and Bill Crossman of Prairie Fire Organizing Committee about International Human Rights Day, 1994. International Human Rights Day, December 10, is a global holiday not well known in the U.S. that champions human rights for political prisoners. The U.S. focus of this year's campaign are the 150+ political prisoners held currently by the U.S. justice system, many of whom were social activists of the 1960's, 70's, 80's. Siff and Crossman stress that with political prisoners it is important to factor not what illegal actions they committed but rather what their conscience was. They deplore the suppression of popular information on political prisoners within the U.S that leads to a popular attitude of disbelief about the problem. They explore the cases of Mumia Abu Jamal, Geronimo Pratt, Leonard Peltier, Sylvia Baraldini, and discus the Amnesty campaign for Puerto Rican prisoners of war. They note that any victory for any prisoner helps the effort as a whole and illustrate the grassroots efforts to shut down the inhumane Lexington, KY prison. They lament that the U.S. does not allow dissent because it gives abnormally long sentences to "freedom fighters." They offer info on how to support the campaign for human rights.
Bill Crossman on Puerto Rican Prisoners of War Bill Crossman on Puerto Rican Prisoners of War
Call Number: JG/ 098AFormat: Cass AProducers: Judy GerberProgram: A Defiant HeartCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Bill Crossman speaks about Puerto Rican Prisoners of War in the US, a petition for their amnesty to the Justice Dept. under President Clinton. Puerto Rican support for these prisoners. The 16 prisoners’ sentences, convictions, and conditions are discussed. Crossman also gives historical background about US occupation of Puerto Rico, and military strategy and plans to control the southern hemisphere.
Judith Ortiz Cofer on being a Latina Writer Judith Ortiz Cofer on being a Latina Writer
Date: 1/1/1992Call Number: JG/ 144BFormat: Cass BProducers: Judy GerberCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Self-described “angry storyteller” discusses the politics of place, the dichotomy she feels being a Puerto Rican living in the US, and the influence of matriarchal heritage in her writing and other Latinas' work. Reads excerpts from several essays including “I Find Myself a Latina Writer,” focusing on the importance of her grandmother in her artistic and political life.
What Now People? (Vol. 1) What Now People? (Vol. 1)
Date: 1/1/1975Call Number: Vin 019Format: VinylProducers: Paredon Records, Various ArtistsCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
The first volume in a compilation of political ballads by various folk singers and activist musicians. Songs cover a range of social movements, including women's rights, the antiwar movement, civil rights for African-Americans and American Indians, and the revolutionary movements in Cuba and Puerto Rico. "What Now People?" serves as a representation of the political song movement.
What Now People? (Vol. 3) What Now People? (Vol. 3)
Date: 1/1/1978Call Number: Vin 020Format: VinylProducers: Paredon Records, Various ArtistsCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
The third volume in a compilation of political ballads by various folk singers and activist musicians. Songs cover a range of social movements, including women's rights, the anti-war movement, civil rights for African-Americans and American Indians, and the revolutionary movements in Cuba and Puerto Rico. "What Now People?" serves as a representation of the political song movement.