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

Puertoriqueno Puertoriqueno
Date: 12/18/1971Call Number: RP 004Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Raul Torres, Emiliano EcheverriaCollection: Reflecciones de la Raza by Comunicacion Aztlan
Puerto Rican poets and community activists Rafael Ramirez and Orlando Ortiz discuss the state of the Bay Area and New York Puerto Rican community, and its ties to current affairs on the Island. Mention the UPR student movement and the struggle versus the ROTC . Give history of the Nationalist Movement. Hechebelto Cofresi speaks about NYC Puerto Rican community (1950s-1971). They also read some of their poetry.
En contacto directo / Art From Behind Prison Walls En contacto directo / Art From Behind Prison Walls
Call Number: LA 032AFormat: Cass AProducers: Sylvia Mulaly AguuirreProgram: El Contacto DirectoCollection: Struggles in Latin America
Spanish and English interview with Gloria Alonzo, National Committee to Free the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners, Bill Crossman, Friends of Elizam Escobar, and Enrique Chagoya, director Galeria de la Raza, on exhibit of art by Puerto Rican political prisoners. Continues 10 minutes on Side B.
Interviews with Puerto Rican former political prisoners and their lawyer Interviews with Puerto Rican former political prisoners and their lawyer
Date: 1/30/2003Call Number: V 143Format: VHSProducers: nyla rosen, hana tauber, jose ignacio fuste, marcos garofaloCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
First 20 minutes: Edited and subtitled (both English and Spanish) interviews on the connection between the release of the prisoners and the Puerto Rican Independence Movement. First footage of a march for peace for Vieques; then former political prisoner Dylcia Pagan talks about the connection between Vieques and PR Independence and the prisoners’ release; lawyer Jan Susler talks about fear and action; former political prisoner Jose Solis Jordan talks about solidarity, love, formal and informal/social/internal prison, the academy/university, and freedom; former political prisoner Elizam Escobar talks about art and liberation. Next 40 minutes: Roughly edited clips from interviews with these Independence fighters, as well as with Luis Rosa and Adolfo Matos. In English and Spanish, Not subtitled. To use these or other clips, see full interviews -- V 135 through V 142.
Interview with Adolfo Matos Interview with Adolfo Matos
Date: 1/7/2003Call Number: V 140Format: SVHSProducers: nyla rosen, hana tauber, jose ignacio fuste, marcos garofaloCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
Unedited interview used to get clips for a project on the Puerto Rican former political prisoners. In Spanish. Artist, independence figher, and former political prisoner Adolfo Matos talks about the connections between Puerto Rican Independence and the release of the political prisoners, his history and current projects, his use of art as liberatory, formal and informal/social prisons, his poetry book, and reads a poem (min 47), etc. NOTE: For easier viewing, check out V 143 which has extracted, edited interviews of him and other PR Independentistas.
Interview with Victor Hernandez Cruz, Miguel Gomez Pinero, Miguel Algarin Interview with Victor Hernandez Cruz, Miguel Gomez Pinero, Miguel Algarin
Call Number: LA 066Format: Cass A & BProducers: Nina SerranoProgram: tape recorded interviewCollection: Puerto Rico
Nina Serrano interviews . Miguel Pinero talks about his play, Short Eyes -- a “street-poetry play” created and about prison life, shown at Riverside and Lincoln Center in New York. The poetry is a “total experience” for the actors (former prisoners) .
Interview with Victor Hernandez Cruz, Miguel Gomez Pinero, Miguel Algarin Interview with Victor Hernandez Cruz, Miguel Gomez Pinero, Miguel Algarin
Call Number: LA 067BFormat: Cass BProducers: Nina SerranoProgram: tape recorded interviewCollection: Puerto Rico
Nina Serrano interviews . Miguel Pinero talks about his play, Short Eyes -- a “street-poetry play” created and about prison life, shown at Riverside and Lincoln Center in New York. The poetry is a “total experience” for the actors (former prisoners) . (Same as LA 066)
Piri Thomas Piri Thomas
Date: 11/14/1987Call Number: LA 072AFormat: Cass ACollection: Puerto Rico
The last part of a program with Piri Thomas. Piri Thomas performs some of his poetry and that of others from the Puerto Rican community.
Aqui se Habla Espanol: Pedro Pietri en Casa Puerto Rico Aqui se Habla Espanol: Pedro Pietri en Casa Puerto Rico
Call Number: CD 185Format: CDProducers: Discos CoquiCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
From an original out-of-print vinyl record (LP 1203) Discos Coqui. Aqui se Habla Espanol y otros poemas de protesta...y chistes. Pedro Pietri en Casa Puerto Rico. The great Puerto Rican poet passed in 2004. He reads some of his amazing early work in front of a live crowd. Aqui se Habla Espanol Puerto Rican Obituary Himno de Papa Dios Sex and the Virgin Mary Suicide Note of a Cockroach The Rise and Fall of the Avon Lady The Broken English Dream The Blue Uniform
Aqui se Habla Espanol: Pedro Pietri en Casa Puerto Rico Aqui se Habla Espanol: Pedro Pietri en Casa Puerto Rico
Call Number: CD 186Format: CDProducers: Discos CoquiCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
From an original out-of-print vinyl record (LP 1203) Discos Coqui. (re-mastered) Aqui se Habla Espanol y otros poemas de protesta...y chistes. Pedro Pietri en Casa Puerto Rico. The great Puerto Rican poet passed in 2004. He reads some of his amazing early work in front of a live crowd. Aqui se Habla Espanol Puerto Rican Obituary Himno de Papa Dios Sex and the Virgin Mary Suicide Note of a Cockroach The Rise and Fall of the Avon Lady The Broken English Dream The Blue Uniform
Loose Joints by Pedro Pietri: Pedro Pietri in his own Words Loose Joints by Pedro Pietri: Pedro Pietri in his own Words
Date: 1/1/1979Call Number: CD 193Format: CDProducers: Folkways FL 9722Collection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Loose joints. Folkways Records FL 9722. [1979] CONTENTS: Side One:Warning; How Do Your Eggs Want You; To Get Drunk You Have to Drink; Telephone Booth Number 102; Telephone Booth Number 905 1/2; Telephone Booth Number 580; Telephone Booth Number 722; Telephone Booth Number 190; Puerto Rican Obituary. Side Two: Suicide Note from a Cockroach in a Low Income Housing Project; Telephone Booth Number 23; Telephone Booth Number 535; Telephone Booth Number 801; The Last Game of the World Series; 1 a.m. At All Times (for Nancy).