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

Interview with Susan Rosenberg about conditions in the women’s political prison, Lexington. Interview with Susan Rosenberg about conditions in the women’s political prison, Lexington.
Call Number: PM 438AFormat: Cass AProducers: Sally O’Brian, Terry BissonCollection: Political Prisoners- General Info
Interview with Susan Rosenberg, an American revoluntionary anti-imperialist female political prisoner, about Lexington prison. . Susan Rosenberg describes the focus of Lexington as “the psychological element of incarceration to disintigrate the personality”. She speaks about the terribly harsh and restrictive conditions of Lexington, as well as the psychological impact of the prison. Rosenberg speaks about how every prisoner is there for political reasons, as the control unit is not based on disciplinary measures, but on classificationof who and what the prisoners are associated with. Susan Rosenberg’s attorney, Michael Schubert, speaks about the isolation and solitary confinement the Lesington prisoners experience, and how such isolation is aimed at keeping the prisoners isolated from politics.
Interview with Susan Rosenberg Interview with Susan Rosenberg
Call Number: PM 253AFormat: Cass AProducers: WBAICollection: Political Prisoners- General Info
Susan Rosenberg speaks from the Metropolitan Corretional Center in New York City about political prisoners and prisons. She describes the conditions in the control unit in Lexington women’s prison and the government’s reasons for selecting the women sent to Lexington.
Interview with Susan Rosenberg on KMUD Interview with Susan Rosenberg on KMUD
Call Number: PM 225Format: CassetteProgram: KMUDCollection: Political Prisoners- General Info
Susan Rosenberg speaks over the phone from a Washington DC jail. As political activists, Rosenberg and others were charged with conspiracy to influence foreign domestic policy by illegal violent means. With a right to have a necessity to resist, Rosenberg and others actively fought against US war crimes of injustice. While being charged for four DC bombings (Capital Bombings), multiple organizations claimed responsibility. Rosenberg was initially caught with explosives and was linked to the conspiracy. A usual sentence for explosives is 3 ½ years, however her situation is politically charged and she first received a 58-year sentence. With no evidence of her doing the bombings, she was charged by political association. With no direct evidence, Susan explains that involvement can mean responsibility and potential conviction. Along with her explanation of past problems with the government, Rosenberg talks about her recent struggle with confinement in the Lexington Control Unit and her movement to shut it down. She speaks of the injustices of sending political prisoners to solitary confinement (Lexington Control Unit). Rosenberg also explains her experiences with being retried a second time with no new evidence. The second indictment was for bombing, while the first was conspiracy. These actions were illegal due to laws of double jeopardy. Eventually, a federal judge dismissed the case. As the struggle continues, Susan Rosenberg describes that she is gaining more opportunities to fight her case and political prisoners will have more rights as well.
Women Political Prisoners Panel Women Political Prisoners Panel
Call Number: PM 275Format: Cass A & BCollection: Political Prisoners- General Info
A panel features several women who served time as political prisoners. Main issues discussed include Puerto Rican political prisoners and the effect prison has on families as the women share their experiences. Speakers include a former member of the Weather Underground arrested for planning to bomb the offices of California State Senator John Briggs.
Political Prisoners - Historical Perspectives Political Prisoners - Historical Perspectives
Date: 11/15/1991Call Number: PM 405Format: CassetteProducers: Prison Radio ProjectProgram: Can't Jail the Spirit #1Collection: Political Prisoners- General Info
Discussion of definitions of political prisoners and the US government's denial of their existence in the US. Readings from Harriet Jacob's "Diary of a Slave Girl", from Assata Shakur's "Assata", and from Emma Goldman, in addition to discussions with Dr. Chinasole from San Francisco State University, and a question and answer segment with Gloria Alonzo of the National Committee to Free Puerto Rican Political Prisoners, Dr. Candace Falk, Dr. Jose Lopez from the Movimento de Revolucion Nacional, and former political prisoner Alvaro Luna Hernandez from the Jailhouse Conveyor.
Political Prisoners - Historical Perspectives Political Prisoners - Historical Perspectives
Date: 11/15/1991Call Number: PM 406Format: CassetteProducers: Prison Radio ProjectProgram: Can't Jail the Spirit #1Collection: Political Prisoners- General Info
Discussion of definitions of political prisoners and the US government's denial of their existence in the US. Readings from Harriet Jacob's "Diary of a Slave Girl", from Assata Shakur's "Assata", and from Emma Goldman, in addition to discussions with Dr. Chinasole from San Francisco State University, and a question and answer segment with Gloria Alonzo of the National Committee to Free Puerto Rican Political Prisoners, Dr. Candace Falk, Dr. Jose Lopez from the Movimento de Revolucion Nacional, and former political prisoner Alvaro Luna Hernandez from the Jailhouse Conveyor.
Sparks Fly & Women Political Prisoners Sparks Fly & Women Political Prisoners
Call Number: PM 411Format: Cass A & BProducers: Prison Activist Resource CenterProgram: On the OutsideCollection: Political Prisoners- General Info
An event to raise awareness about women political prisoners. Includes interviews with an attorney for Norma Jean Croy, with Corcoran prisoner Ezra Davis on medical neglect, and with Jose Lopez of the National Committee to Free Puerto Rican POWs.
Sparks Fly & Women Political Prisoners Sparks Fly & Women Political Prisoners
Call Number: PM 412Format: Cass A & BProducers: Prison Activist Resource CenterProgram: On the OutsideCollection: Political Prisoners- General Info
An event to raise awareness about women political prisoners. Includes interviews with an attorney for Norma Jean Croy, with Corcoran prisoner Ezra Davis on medical neglect, and with Jose Lopez of the National Committee to Free Puerto Rican POWs.