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

[Graphic: Line drawing of woman] [Graphic: Line drawing of woman]
Publisher: Arm the SpiritFormat: EphemeraCollection: Prison Newspapers
greeting card
The Struggle Inside The Struggle Inside
Format: PamphletCollection: Prison Newspapers
Information on the Prison System. Covers topics such as racism, youth, women, and others.
Anvil Anvil
Publisher: California Prisoners UnionYear: 1971Volume Number: Vol. 1-3 August - SeptemberFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Prison Newspapers
Cover Story: CPU Press Conference on San Quentin Guard Murder, Parole as a Continuation of Prison, Sadistic Castrators Expos ed, Strike at Women
Anvil Anvil
Publisher: United Prisoners UnionVolume Number: AugustFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Prison Newspapers
Articles include: The Most Neglected Area: Women in Prison the Inside, The Struggle Continues (Ruchell MaGee), The Continuing Use of Psychosurgery.
Anvil Anvil
Publisher: United Prisoners UnionYear: 1975Volume Number: March-AprilFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Prison Newspapers
Articles include: History of U.P.U, Expose the Prison Cover-Up, Legal Page, Women in Struggle, Marilyn Buck: 2 years later, From the Inside.
Arm the Spirit Arm the Spirit
Publisher: Haight - Ashbury Arts WorkshopYear: 1981Volume Number: No. 10 December-JanuaryFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Prison Newspapers
Articles include: Message from Assata Shakur, Mockery of Justice in Pontiac Death Penalty, Free Leonard Peltier, Smash the Death Penalty, Women Prisoners Protest Harassment, Work Stoppage at Marion, Black prisoners call for unity, Geronimo Pratt.
Big Mama Rag: a feminist news journal Big Mama Rag: a feminist news journal
Publisher: Big Mama RagYear: 1982Volume Number: Vol. 10-5 MayFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Prison Newspapers
Articles include: Women in Cages: Part One, Feminism and Women Inside, Incarcerated Mothers, Criminal Injustice System, Shock Atrocities.
Arm the Spirit Arm the Spirit
Publisher: Regional Young Adult ProjectYear: 1981Volume Number: No. 12 July-AugustFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Prison Newspapers
Cover Stories: Pontiac Brothers Acquitted; Atlanta Means Genocide
The Outlaw The Outlaw
Publisher: Prisoners UnionYear: 1973Volume Number: Vol. 2-2 May-JuneFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Prison Newspapers
Articles include: Nationwide Unions Coming Together, Prison Law Collective, Behavior Modification, Senator Petris on Psycho-Surgery, Medical Malpractice: Know Your Rights, We are not
The Outlaw The Outlaw
Publisher: Prisoners UnionYear: 1974Volume Number: Vol. 3-3 MayFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Prison Newspapers
Articles include: Focus... Women, Arizona, Texarkana Murder, National Jailhouse Lawyers Association, Skin-Search Protest, Leavenworth Brothers, Poetry, Getting Out, Oklahoma, El Reno, To Die Behind Prison Walls, High Court Limits Prison Censorship