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

Assata Shakur Trial Assata Shakur Trial
Date: 4/21/1976Call Number: FI 005Format: 1/4 7 1/2 ipsProducers: Barbara Lubinski, Heber DreherProgram: Freedom is a constant struggleCollection: Freedom is a Constant Struggle
Summary of COINTELPRO followed by information on Assata Shakur case including interview with one of her attorneys, Lewis Myers, on her mistreatment by judicial system and on FBI attacks, surveillance of all their communications, jail conditions and treatment.
Ruben Scott Interview Ruben Scott Interview
Date: 12/2/1975Call Number: PM 202Format: Cass A & BProducers: Claude MarksCollection: BLA
In this interview Scott discusses the circumstances of his arrest. Sep. 3rd, Scott was detained and beaten, charged with two counts of assault. Originally Scott was stopped for indecent exposure but never charged. Scott was charged with assault after defending himself from an unidentified officer whom had cocked his gun in Scotts face. Bail was set at $5000 and he was out on bond the next day. 8/25 Scoot was detained after being tailed since 7/3. Scott was arrested again, where he and a couple others were repeatedly beaten and questioned about a bank robbery as well as the where about of others.
Interview with Hugo Pinell Part 1 Interview with Hugo Pinell Part 1
Date: 4/19/2001Call Number: CD 140Format: CDCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Interview done with Hugo Pinell in Pelican Bay in April of 2001.
Interview with Hugo Pinell Part 2 Interview with Hugo Pinell Part 2
Date: 4/19/2001Call Number: CD 141Format: CDCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Interview done with Hugo Pinell in Pelican Bay in April of 2001.
Presentation on Puerto Rican political prisoners by Josefina Rodriguez Presentation on Puerto Rican political prisoners by Josefina Rodriguez
Date: 1/15/1989Call Number: LA 078Format: CassetteCollection: Puerto Rico
Josefina Rodrieguez, mother of two Puerto Rican prisoners in the United States speaks about her international work and solidarity with political prisoners, and her fight to have Puerto Rican political prisoners recognized around the world. She discusses also the prison conditions in which prisoners are subjected, expecially women prisoners within the system.
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.
Ruben Scott Interview Ruben Scott Interview
Date: 12/2/1975Call Number: CD 519Format: CDProducers: Claude MarksCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
In this interview Scott discusses the circumstances of his arrest. Sep. 3rd, Scott was detained and beaten, charged with two counts of assault. Originally Scott was stopped for indecent exposure but never charged. Scott was charged with assault after defending himself from an unidentified officer whom had cocked his gun in Scott's face. Bail was set at $5000 and he was out on bond the next day. 8/25 Scoot was detained after being tailed since 7/3. Scott was arrested again, where he and a couple others were repeatedly beaten and questioned about a bank robbery as well as the where abouts of others.
Interview with Susan Rosenberg and Josefina Rodriguez Interview with Susan Rosenberg and Josefina Rodriguez
Call Number: CD 799Format: CDProducers: Sally O’Brian, Terry BissonCollection: Compact discs and videos representing digitized copies of analog tapes
Interview with Susan Rosenberg, an American revolutionary anti-imperialist female political prisoner, about Lexington prison. Susan Rosenberg describes the focus of Lexington as “the psychological element of incarceration to disintegrate 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 classification who and what the prisoners are associated with. Susan Rosenberg’s attorney, Michael Schubert, speaks about the isolation and solitary confinement the Lexington prisoners experience, and how such isolation is aimed at keeping the prisoners isolated from politics.
Interview with Hugo Pinell at Pelican Bay Interview with Hugo Pinell at Pelican Bay
Date: 10/20/1994Call Number: PM 452AFormat: Cass ACollection: Political Prisoner Periodicals
Pinell discusses his reasons to refuse cooperation with the federal government; theories of personal vs. general freedom, suffering and justice; the connection of bad prison conditions with an inherently flawed system; and philosophies he has learned from other inmates within the system. "Us poor, the best way we survive is we create our own world. But it's not. The whole world is our world. I'm just as special as everyone else in the world."
Black Flag: Organ of the Anarchist Black Cross Black Flag: Organ of the Anarchist Black Cross
Publisher: Black Flag GroupYear: 1978Volume Number: Vol. 5-7Format: PeriodicalCollection: Black Flag
Features an expos