Young

Red text on a white background

“YOUNG” was most likely associated with Andrew Young, a notable civil rights leader, U.S. Congressman, ambassador, and former mayor of Atlanta. He served as a U.S. Congressman from Georgia (1973–1977), then as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President Jimmy Carter, and later as Mayor of Atlanta (1982–1990). Campaign buttons with just the candidate’s last name, especially one as recognizable as “Young,” were common in the 1970s and 1980s. It may also be connected to Don Young, a long-serving U.S. Representative from Alaska, or Coleman Young. Coleman Young ran for Mayor of Detroit in 1973 and became the city’s first Black mayor in 1974. His campaign included strong branding, such as buttons, posters, and songs.