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

Buried Alive: Lexington Control Unit Buried Alive: Lexington Control Unit
Call Number: JG/ 061BFormat: Cass BProducers: Judy GerberCollection: Programs produced by Judy Gerber and Laurie Simms
Judy Gerber interviews political prisoners/prisoners of war housed at the Lexington Control Unit in Kentucky. Puerto Rican Independista Alejandrina Torres and North American anti-imperialists Sylvia Baraldini and Susan Rosenberg, all inmates in Lexington, discuss the psychological torture they have endured in this unit including the absence of natural sunlight, denial of personal property, limited contact with family and the outside world, pointless and humiliating strip searches and other sexual torture, and medical neglect. Also discussed is the importance of public pressure in the form of national and international campaigns against these horrendous conditions.
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.
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.
LIBERTAD LIBERTAD
Publisher: National Committee to Free Puerto Rican Prisoners of WarYear: 1986Volume Number: Vol. VII-XII DecemberFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Libertad
Contents: The Case of Alejandrina and Susan: Psychological Torture Exposed Close the Control Unit! Campaign to Protest Inhuman Conditions at MCC for Oscar and Kojo Continues; Prisoners of War/Political Prisoners: What is the Difference?; The Roots of El Yunque; Communique from the Puerto Rican People\'s Army - Macheteros; The Puerto Rican Nationalists; Health Endangered- 4th week of Luis Colon-Osorio Hunger Strike.
LIBERTAD LIBERTAD
Publisher: National Committee to Free Puerto Rican Prisoners of WarYear: 1987Volume Number: Vol. VIII-IX SeptemberFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Libertad
Contents: FBI/Prosecution Thwarted in Conspiracy to Escape Case!; Message to the Puerto Rican Independence 16; To all Democratic and Anti-Fascist People; Psychological Torture; UN Decolonization Committee Declares Puerto Rico a Colony; Protesters Shut Down Military Base in Arlington Heights; Puerto Rico Independence; 119 Years Later: The Spirit of Mariana Bracetti Lives on in Alejandrina Torres
LIBERTAD: Special Issue LIBERTAD: Special Issue
Publisher: National Committee to Free Puerto Rican Prisoners of WarVolume Number: Special IssueFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Libertad
Special Issue: Contents: The Price of Struggling for Freedom; Psychological Torture- Violations of Human Rights in the United States; Six Women Incarcerated- Six Reasons to Struggle; The Ethic of Liberty; The Moral Strength of the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War; Poetry; Resolutions; Pardon - A Historical Precedent.
Women Political Prisoners in the US Ad Women Political Prisoners in the US Ad
Publisher: Gay Community NewsYear: 1988Format: ArticleCollection: Lexington Control Unit for Women
Pages 5-6 of 6/26/1988 issue; Page 6 scanned. Full page ad prepared by Out of Control
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
The Lexington Women's Control Unit p.2 The Lexington Women's Control Unit p.2
Publisher: Freedom ArchivesFormat: Video ClipCollection: Lexington Control Unit for Women
This video discusses the conditions of Lexington Prison and how people end up in Lexington control unit. Contains a short interview with a doctor who speaks about the psychological affects of prolonged isolation.