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.

Gender and Sexuality

This collection features materials from a number of sources focusing on struggles revolving around gender and sexuality. These struggles are not separate from larger struggles for liberation but specifically incorporate unique voices and perspectives.

Subcollections

  • Connexions
    Connexions
    Connexions is the collective product of feminists of diverse nationalities and political perspectives committed to contributing to an international women\'s movement.
  • Feminist and Lesbian Politics: Monographs-Periodicals-Articles
    Feminist and Lesbian Politics: Monographs-Periodicals-Articles
    This collection contains materials focusing on radical feminist and lesbian politics. While diverse in medium and subject matter, this collection contextualizes women’s liberation highlighting issues of class, race, sexuality and imperialism.
  • Materials shot and collected in the making of The Forest for the Trees
    Materials shot and collected in the making of The Forest for the Trees
    Raw materials from the documentary "The Forest for the Trees" which details the amazing story of the fight to clear Earth First! activist Judi Bari's name after her car was bombed and she was arrested as a terrorist.
  • Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
    Out of Control: Lesbian Committee to Support Women Prisoners
    Out of Control (OOC) was a self-supporting committee formed in 1987 to organize resistance to the Lexington Control Unit for women.
  • Prisons - Women
    Prisons - Women
    This collection contains materials relating to the specific conditions, challenges and struggles facing women in prison. Topics are varied but materials include conference papers, informational materials, legal perspectives and audio recordings.
  • Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
    This collection contains grassroots radio programming produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms. This programming primarily occurred during the 1980s and 1990s.
  • Sterilization
    Sterilization
    This collection contains materials focusing on the sterilization of women and efforts to resist this practice.
  • Violence Against Women
    Violence Against Women
    This collection contains materials focusing on violence against women. Specific topics covered include women who fight back against their abusers, rape, pornography, sexism and self-defense.
  • Women Against Imperialism
    Women Against Imperialism
    Women Against Imperialism was a grassroots, feminist, anti-imperialist solidarity organization formed in San Francisco in 1981. Women Against Imperialism’s work primarily consisted of direct action organizing and political education activities.

Documents

Interview with Karina Epperlein about Women in Prison Film Interview with Karina Epperlein about Women in Prison Film
Call Number: PM 132Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: KPFACollection: Prisons - Women
An interview with Karina Epperlein on her upcoming film about her work with women in prison. The film, Voices From Inside, is based on her work with female prisoners at the Federal Correctional Institute in Pleasanton, California. For two years she worked with groups of 5-12 women using voice and scream therapy in the effort to target core emotions within. The program, Finding Our Voices, tapped into painful feelings, such as the separation of these mothers from their children, with such expression that it inspired Epperlein to write poetry, as in the book Pouring Love into Bones, and the documentary, Voices From Inside. This interview was created in part to advertise for the film’s fundraiser on June 17-19, year unknown, at the Wild Cat Studio in Berkeley, California. Epperlein will be performing with Gwen Jones for Pouring Love into Bones.
Women Prisoners Dublin (1 of 2) Women Prisoners Dublin (1 of 2)
Date: 12/26/1995Call Number: PM 133Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: KPFAProgram: Freedom is a Constant Struggle (Freedom Is A Constant Struggle)Collection: Prisons - Women
Interview with Marilyn Buck, Dylcia Pagan, Ida Robinson, and Linda Evans, by Kiilu Nyasha, at the National Federal Prison of Dublin, California. Discussion about life in prison, being a political prisoner, being a mother in prison, current prison conditions, racism, white supremacy, anti-imperialism, and U. S. foreign and economic policy. Worker’s rights are discussed and how they affect prisoners who work for multi international corporations. Puerto Rico and its struggle to gain independence is discussed by Dylcia Pagan at length. The loss of the extended family for support of prisoners and their children is also spoken about at length.
Women Prisoners Dublin (2 of 2) Women Prisoners Dublin (2 of 2)
Date: 12/26/1995Call Number: PM 134Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: KPFAProgram: Freedom is a Constant Struggle (Freedom Is A Constant Struggle)Collection: Prisons - Women
Interview with Marilyn Buck, Dylcia Pagan, Ida Robinson, and Linda Evans, by Kiilu Nyasha, at the National Federal Prison of Dublin, California. Discussion about life in prison, being a political prisoner, being a mother in prison, current prison conditions, racism, white supremacy, anti-imperialism, and U. S. foreign and economic policy. Worker’s rights are discussed and how they affect prisoners who work for multi international corporations. Puerto Rico and its struggle to gain independence is discussed by Dylcia Pagan at length. The loss of the extended family for support of prisoners and their children is also spoken about at length.
The Fire Inside The Fire Inside
Publisher: California Coalition for Women PrisonersYear: 2013/2014Call Number: Volume Number: Issue 49, Fall/WinterFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Prisons - Women
Newsletter of the California Coalition for Women Prisoners: Solitary Torture in Women's Prisons, What's "Legal" About Solitary Confinement?, Stop CDCR Sterilizations!, Surviving Solitary, Solidarity With Striking Prisoners. End Long-Term Solitary!, Hunger Strike 2013 Update.