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

General Petition to US Bureau of Prisons General Petition to US Bureau of Prisons
Publisher: Committee to End the Marion LockdownYear: 1986Format: PetitionCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Regarding conditions and existance of lockdown.
Prison Group Report on Marion: Calls for Continued Monitoring, Report Cites "Uneasy calm" Prison Group Report on Marion: Calls for Continued Monitoring, Report Cites "Uneasy calm"
Author: Ellen S. AlberdingPublisher: John Howard Association; the prison reform groupYear: 1986Format: Press ReleaseCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Reproduction of press release 1/9/1986. "A 20-page document released today… reports on the prison watchdog's recent inspection of the super-maximum security United States Penitentiary in Marion Illinois."
Report Back from the Marion/Lexington Demonstration Report Back from the Marion/Lexington Demonstration
Publisher: Committee to End the Marion LockdownYear: 1986Format: FlyerCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Flyer advertising a memorial event in honor of Malcolm X's Birth.
Wall of Silence Will Work Only if We Let It Wall of Silence Will Work Only if We Let It
Author: Jade DellPublisher: United Methodist ReviewYear: 1986Format: ArticleCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Regarding the 4/19/1985 protest, lockdown conditions, and voices of dissent
Marion: The Prisoners Speak Marion: The Prisoners Speak
Authors: Oscar Lopez, Kojo Bomani Sababu, Bill Dunne, Amory Paz, Tim BlunkPublisher: Committee to End the Marion LockdownYear: 1986Format: MonographCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Collection of statements by prisoners at Marion. Reproduction.
Marion Prison: Inside the Lockdown Marion Prison: Inside the Lockdown
Publisher: Committee to End the Marion LockdownYear: 1986Format: TranscriptCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Transcript of a radio report on conditions at Marion Federal Prison in Southern Illinois. The report was Broadcast on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" on 10/28/1986 and 11/1/1986.
Psychological Torture: U.S. Style- the Case of Alejandrina and Susan Psychological Torture: U.S. Style- the Case of Alejandrina and Susan
Publisher: National Committee to Free Puerto Rican POWYear: 1986Format: ArticleCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Newsprint article regarding the case of political prisoners Alejandrina Torres and Susan Rosenberg.
A Report on the Marion/Lexington Demonstration (with media reports and solidarity messages from prisoners) A Report on the Marion/Lexington Demonstration (with media reports and solidarity messages from prisoners)
Publisher: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown; Daily Egyptian; Southern Illinoisian; Lexington Herald Leader; Arizona Daily Star; Chicago Defender; SF Guardian; In These Times; Year: 1986Format: MonographCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Details history of CEML, the Conference for Education in 1985, and preparations for the demonstration at Lexington and Marion on 4/19/1986.
Solidarity statement to the April 19th demonstration from North American Anti-Imperialist political prisoners Solidarity statement to the April 19th demonstration from North American Anti-Imperialist political prisoners
Authors: Judy Clark, David Gilbert, Susan Rosenberg, Tim Blunk, Alan Berkman, Laura Whi tehorn, Marilyn BuckLinda Evans, Shelley MillerPublisher: Ohio 7; CEMLYear: 1986Format: CorrespondenceCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
4/19/1986 Message of solidarity to Marion/lexington protestors. Part of packet.
Presentation by Steve Whitman to the November 1, 1986 Conference to end the Marion Lockdown as {art of the Workshop on the Changing Nature of the US Prison System Presentation by Steve Whitman to the November 1, 1986 Conference to end the Marion Lockdown as {art of the Workshop on the Changing Nature of the US Prison System
Author: Steve WhitmanPublisher: Committee to End the Marion LockdownYear: 1986Format: TranscriptCollection: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Discusses prison rates and the link to race.