Blue text with white background and red arrow pointing upward.

This button references the famous quote, "And now it's on to Chicago and lets win there" from Robert Kennedy's victory speech after winning the California primary and moments before his assassination at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. The button was made for a group of Gene McCarthy campaign staffers who were working to get Bob Kennedy’s supporters to support McCarthy after Kennedy’s assassination.

Blue background with white text. Yellow rays on upper half. Union bug at bottom.

This is a Harold Washington button in Spanish. Harold Washington was the first African-American mayor of Chicago from 1983-1987. It was a very close race: Washington had 37% of the vote, Jane Byrne had 33%, and future mayor Richard M. Daley had 30%. When Harold Washington won the election in 1983 he had gained 83% of the Hispanic vote. He died while working in his office and left quite a legacy around Chicago, including the main Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington University, Harold Washington Park and the Harold Washington Cultural Center. Prior to becoming mayor, he served in the Illinois Legislature as a state senator and state representative.   He was also a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981-1983.   

Black text with blue background and white curl. Sears Tower is in the center surrounded by other buildings. The words "Sears" and "Tower" are placed vertically on each side of the Sears Tower image. Text arched over top of button reads "World's Tallest Building Chicago, Illinois."

The Sears Tower was the world's tallest building at the time of its completion in 1973. It supassed the World Trade Center towers in New York and held the title for nearly 25 years.  It is now the tallest buiding in the US and the 5th tallest freestanding structure in the world. On July 16, 2009,  it was officially named the Willis Tower after London-based insurance broker Willis Group Holdings.

Bozo the clown underneath a circle / slash sign.

"No Bozos" is a phrase used express the seriousness of a matter at hand, meaning no clowning around or no kidding or to mean no stupid or rude people.

Mayor Jane Byrne campaign button. White underlined text on green background.

Jane Byrne was the first female mayor of Chicago serving from 1979 to 1983. Her policies ranged from limiting possession of handguns, hiring African-American cabinet members, to revitalizing Navy Pier. Sympathetic to the plight of the inner city, Byrne decided to move into the housing project Cabrini-Green, along with her husband. Her plan was to bring attention to the crime rate there, after 37 shootings resulted in 11 deaths in just three months at the beginning of 1981. However, Mayor Byrne remained only for three weeks causing many to see it as simply a publicity stunt.

The most interesting event in her term as Mayor happened on November 11, 1981. A man named Dan Goodwin climbed the John Hancock Building, dressed as Spider-Man, getting as high as the 38th floor before authorities became involved. When the Chicago Fire Department planned to hose Goodwin off of the side of the building while also breaking glass along his path to keep him in one spot, Mayor Byrne interceded on his behalf. She allowed him to continue without hosing him and he successfully made the climb to the top of the building. 

Button is a white baseball with black text, a red pennant with white text, and a player's head with cap.

The Chicago White Sox won the American League pennant but lost to the the Los Angeles Dodgers four games to two in the 1959 World Series. 

Black text on grey background.

The Chicago Flat Janitor's Union formed in 1902 despite pressure from employers associations.  The Union began collaborating with the American Federation of Labor 1904, later cooperating with the Building Service Employees International Union, the BSEIU (later the Service  Employees International Union, SEIU). Local 1 continues to advocate on behalf of service employees as the Chicago Flat Janitor's Union.  AFL-CIO Union dues button indicates union dues have been paid.

Fluorescent pink background with black text and panther illustration.

“Free Huey” was the slogan used by the Black Panther Party and other activist organizations to rally around Huey Newton’s arrest for the murder of an Oakland police officer in 1968. Newton, a political activist and revolutionary, co-founded the Black Panther Party in 1966. The actual events leading up to Newton’s arrest were manipulated by both the press and the Black Panthers, however Newton’s image became an icon used to remind people of enforcement tactics used by the police. For a time, he represented the troubles of an entire race. Newton was found guilty on September 8, 1968, but did not face the death penalty, only significant time in prison.  

White text on blue background. "Obama" between white lines on upper third of button.

Barack Obama was sworn in as a US senator on January 4, 2005. He was considered a "loyal Democrat" based on his voting record. He resigned his seat on November 16, 2008 to focus on his transition period for the presidency.

Black text with red heart on white background.

This is a variation of the I heart NY logo that was created in 1977 by Milton Glaser for an ad campaign created by advertising agency Wells Rich Greene. The marketing campaign was sought by then-Deputy Commissioner William S. Doyle to increase tourism in the state of New York. The campaign was a wild success. The original sketch of the logo is permanently on display at the MOMA.

The logo has become iconic in pop-culture and has been imitated in many forms around the world.

This button was manufactured by the Busy Beaver Button Co.