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

Campaign to free Jose Luis Avina packet Campaign to free Jose Luis Avina packet
Publisher: Campaign to free Jose Luis Avina; Bario Defense Committee; Anarchist Black Cross Foundation; Format: CompilationCollection: Raza Prison
Reproductions. Compilation of information from various sources
Civilize Native American People?; Excerpt from Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions: Women on Their Moon Civilize Native American People?; Excerpt from Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions: Women on Their Moon
Author: John F. Lame DeerPublisher: Tayac FamilyFormat: CompilationCollection: Native Americans
Reproductions of: Unnamed letter to journal concerning the racial and religious suppression of Native American prisoners; Excerpt from Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions Chapter 9: Medicine Good and Bad (p.159-182 with handwritten annotation); Letter from The Tayac Family regarding Moon Lodge for menstruating women and related traditional practices.
Political Prisoners Write Critical Resistance Political Prisoners Write Critical Resistance
Authors: Mumia Abu-Jamal, Silvia Baraldini, Herman Bell, Marilyn Buck, Susan Crana, Linda Evans, Dylcia PagPublisher: Jericho Organizing Committee of CaliforniaYear: 1998Format: CompilationCollection: Literary Prisoners
Articles written by various Political Prisoners. Mumia Abu-Jamal (The Industry of Fear); Silvia Baraldini (Message to Critical Resistance and The Letter); Herman Bell (In Support of Critical Resistance Conference); Marilyn Buck, Susan Crane, Linda Evans, Dylcia Pagan, Alicia Rodriguez, Lucy Rodriguez, Carmen Valentin, Laura Whitehorn (Message to Critical Resistance); Marilyn Buck (Bones); Susan Crane (Letter from FCI Dublin); Jalil Abdul Muntaqim (From the Cold War of the 90s); Lucy Rodriguez (Message to Critical Resistance); Alicia Rodriguez (Message to Critical Resistance); Russell Maroon Shoats (Open Letter to Supporters of Recognized Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War); Albert Nuh Washington (Message to Critical Resistance); Laura Whitehorn (For Standing Deer Wilson and All Righteous Old Men and Women in Prison and Notes from the Unrepenitentiary); Block Prints by Marilyn Buck, Susan Crane and Laura Whitehorn.
Emergency Committee to Stop the Grand Jury Emergency Committee to Stop the Grand Jury
Publisher: Committee to Stop the Grand JuryDate: 9/25/1989Volume Number: 25-SepFormat: CompilationCollection: Grand Jury
Reproduction. Contains a press release, letter from the National Conference of Black Lawyers, Court papers submitted by JBAKC attorneys in Chicago, and all the subpoenaed public documents of the JBAKC.
Letter to "Friends and Supporters of Political Prisoners Letter to "Friends and Supporters of Political Prisoners
Publisher: Freedom Now! National Campaign for Amnesty and Human Rights for Political Prisoners in the USAYear: 1990Format: CompilationCollection: Freedom Now
Handwritten notes from 9/15 stapled to back.
[File of materials from Yasutake delegation to D.C.] [File of materials from Yasutake delegation to D.C.]
Authors: Vicki Legion, S. Michael YasutakePublisher: Interfaith Prisoners of Conscience; Committee to End the Marion Lockdown; American Civil Liberties UnionYear: 1990Format: CompilationCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
File of collected materials pertaining to the Interfaith Prisoners of Conscience delegation to the Bureau of Prisons. Enclosures: Cover Page: Note to Steve Whitman from Vicki Legion; 4/19/1990 Letter to Dir. J. Michael Quinlan from Rev. S. Michael Yasutake; 5/1/1990 Press Release; 5/4/1990 Statement for Rally re: Federal Penitentiary Marion, Illinois; 5/4/1990 Letter to Dir. J. Michael Quinlan from Rev. S. Michael Yasutake; 5/18/1990 A Report on the Visit to the Bureau of Prisons and the DC Detention Center; 5/17/1990 Letter to Dir. J. Michael Quinlan from Rev. S. Michael Yasutake; Flewellen, Fine, Yasutake at Congressmen Kastenmeier's office (Graphic); Thornell and Flewellen delivering petitions to BOP; Photograph by D'Auteuil Robideau.
Mailing to Dir. Quinlan Mailing to Dir. Quinlan
Publisher: Committee to End the Marion LockdownYear: 1990Format: CompilationCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
3/20/1990 Mailing to J Michael Quinlan regarding toxic water supply at USP Marion. Letter in response to CEML petition concerning the quality of water being supplied to USP Marion. States new water supply will be available in 18 months. Includes news articles - see 3.newspaper.articles.may.demonstration.1990.pdf
Letter of Thanks; Pickets Protest Marion Lockdown; Report on the April 29 Demonstration Letter of Thanks; Pickets Protest Marion Lockdown; Report on the April 29 Demonstration
Publisher: Committee to End the Marion LockdownYear: 1989Format: CompilationCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Letter to Friend giving thanks for support of the 4/29/1989 demonstration; Graphic of protest reproduced from Southern Illinoisan 4/30/1989 taken by Jan Abbott; Report on the demonstration. 1 copy does not include graphic or CEML letterhead.
Court Considers Contamination; Letter to Friends Court Considers Contamination; Letter to Friends
Publisher: Committee to End the Marion LockdownYear: 1988Format: CompilationCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Reproduction of article regarding 4/21/1988 hearing regarding USP Marion lawsuit; Letter to friends regarding transcript of October 1987 tribunal.