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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.
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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.

Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials

Documents

Bruce Wright on racism Bruce Wright on racism
Date: 11/4/1989Call Number: V 634Format: DV CamProducers: KonnectionsCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
Excerpts of lecture by Bruce Wright, judge, scholar, poet and activist for social justice. Using his own experience as a Black man, he describes the history of US racism and the criminal justice system. Transcript available for download.
Shut Down the Control Units Shut Down the Control Units
Date: 1/1/1988Call Number: V 635Format: DV CamProducers: Committee to End the Marion LockdownCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
Excerpts of the CEML's "Shut Down the Control Units." US policies at Marion violate the United Nation's Standard Minimum Rules for Treatment of Prisoners that were established for countries like Chile and South Africa. The control units at Marion often are used to silence political prisoners and those demanding prisoners rights.
Marion Prison and Inmate Interviews Marion Prison and Inmate Interviews
Excerpts of Inside USP Marion, features interview with political prisoner Oscar Lopez Rivera.
Marion Prison and Inmate Interviews Marion Prison and Inmate Interviews
Excerpts of Inside USP Marion, features interview with political prisoner Sekou Odinga.
Marion Prison and Inmate Interviews Marion Prison and Inmate Interviews
Excerpts of Inside USP Marion features interviews with prisoners, including Oscar Lopez Rivera and Sekou Odinga. Guards and other prison personnel are also interviewed.
Marion and Lexington Control Units Marion and Lexington Control Units
Date: 3/18/1988Call Number: V 639Format: DV CamProgram: 20/20Collection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
Excerpts of three videos on control units in the US. Marion Control Units - a history of control units in the US, focusing mainly on Marion. Black prisoners in the US prisons, prison demographics by race and rate. Lexington Control Unit - Includes interviews with Alejandrina Torres, Susan Rosenberg and Sylvia Baraldrini about the conditions in the control unit and the effects of sensory deprivation. Marion 20/20 - a discussion of the techniques used at USP Marion, including testimonies from prisoners and the warden. Transcript of 20/20 piece available for download.
CEML Program  - Bob Robideau, Safiya Bukhari-Alston, Rafael Cancel Miranda Moderator Nancy Kurshan CEML Program - Bob Robideau, Safiya Bukhari-Alston, Rafael Cancel Miranda Moderator Nancy Kurshan
Date: 11/17/1990Call Number: V 640Format: DV CamProducers: Nancy KurshanCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
Excerpts from a program by the Committee to End the Marion Lockdown about Control Unit Prisons. Harsh prison conditions (including super-max prison, Marion) are described by Bob Robideau of the American Indian Movement, Safiya Bukhari of the Jericho Amnesty Movement and Rafael Cancel Miranda a Puerto Rican Independentista.
Control Units: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown Control Units: Committee to End the Marion Lockdown
Date: 1/1/1988Call Number: V 641Format: DV CamProducers: Committee to End the Marion LockdownCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
Excerpts from a Basic introduction to the Marion control unit prison and the spread of its techniques, with historical background, data tables on growth of prison population, violations of human rights/torture, political prisoners, overall structure of white supremacy and the role of prisons as control mechanism for people of color and social justice movement leaders.
CEML Program (10-21-1995) Keynote Address CEML Program (10-21-1995) Keynote Address
Date: 10/21/1995Call Number: V 642Format: DV CamProducers: CEMLCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
Excerpts from Keynote address: MC Nancy Kurshan, speakers Dr. Alan Berkman, Nozomi Ikuta, and Jose Lopez. Topics discussed include proliferation of the criminal justice system and control units, control units and social control, physical and psychological conditions in control units, and prisons as reflections of America as a colonial power and its historical roots in racism and white power. There is also a taped video statement by Sanyika Shakur and his 60 minutes interview is shown. Transcript available for download.
CEML: Marion Conf 10-24-1987 Tape #1 CEML: Marion Conf 10-24-1987 Tape #1
Date: 10/24/1989Call Number: V 643Format: DV CamProducers: CEMLCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
Excerpts from CEML Tribunal Footage. Steve Whitman introduces the event and the judges, Jose Lopez presents the indictment. Testimony is heard from family members of prisoners in Marion and Lexington. This video also contains audio of the NPR interview with ex-guard David Hale.