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

More holes in state case More holes in state case
Author: Karen WaldPublisher: The GuardianDate: 5/12/1976Volume Number: 12-MayFormat: ArticleCollection: San Quentin Six
Gov't Network Sterilizes Workers Gov't Network Sterilizes Workers
Publisher: Committee for Puerto Rican DecolonizationFormat: ArticleCollection: Puerto Rico: A History of the People
A continuation of an article about the history of mass sterilization in Puerto Rico but focuses on the problems with the current health system and includes the results of a 1968 study on sterilzation.
S.Q. defendants sentenced S.Q. defendants sentenced
Author: Karen WaldPublisher: The GuardianDate: 10/13/1976Volume Number: 13-OctFormat: ArticleCollection: San Quentin Six
Quentin defense demands mistrial Quentin defense demands mistrial
Author: Karen WaldPublisher: The GuardianDate: 6/25/1976Volume Number: 25-JunFormat: ArticleCollection: San Quentin Six
Quentin defense rests Quentin defense rests
Author: Karen WaldPublisher: The GuardianDate: 6/16/1976Volume Number: 16-JunFormat: ArticleCollection: San Quentin Six
When Democracy Turns to Torture When Democracy Turns to Torture
Author: Sekou OdingaPublisher: Prarie Fire Organization CommitteeYear: 1986Volume Number: Spring/no. 13Format: ArticleCollection: Torture
Reproduction
Open Letter to Weatherman Underground from panther 21 Open Letter to Weatherman Underground from panther 21
Publisher: BreakthroughYear: 1977Volume Number: Oct Dec./Vol. 1, no. 3-4Format: ArticleCollection: Torture
Reproduction from reprint. Scan taken from original
No. 1 Domestic Priority: New Careers for Criminals No. 1 Domestic Priority: New Careers for Criminals
Author: Arnold S. TrebechPublisher: Transitions to FreedomFormat: ArticleCollection: United Prisoners Union
Reproduction of article forwarded by Transitions to Freedom with note attached. Originally printed in City Magazine, October-November 1970.
The Shame of America - Psychological Torture: US Style- The Case of Alejandrina and Susan The Shame of America - Psychological Torture: US Style- The Case of Alejandrina and Susan
Publisher: National Committee to Free Puerto Rican Prisoners of WarFormat: ArticleCollection: Lexington Control Unit for Women
In English and Spanish
Special Incapacitation: The Emergence of a New Correctional Facility for Women Political Prisoners Special Incapacitation: The Emergence of a New Correctional Facility for Women Political Prisoners
Author: Gilda ZwermanPublisher: Social JusticeYear: 1988Volume Number: Vol. 15-1Format: ArticleCollection: Lexington Control Unit for Women
Excerpt from Social Justice Vol. 15(1)