Learning what acronyms stand for will help you better understand your collectible item. For example with buttons, you can narrow down the date the button was created, what it was used for, and maybe even tie it to a specific event just by deciphering the depicted acronym.
This list was created by collector extraordinaire, Marshall Levin, and a handwritten copy was given to the Button Museum by Ted Hake to digitize so that it can be a resource for researchers everywhere. Ted says “Acronyms and what they represent are known among those in the industry. They’re integral to knowing what to get… Collection requires selection. There are buttons for everything but you have to narrow your interest if budget and space are your concern.”
There are so many different clubs and organizations; it's our hope that this list will help you narrow down some of the possibilities or even answer your question!
AAPA - Association Against The Prohibition Amendment 1926 - 1933
ACLU - American Civil Liberties Union
AFCO - Alliance For Conscientious Objection
AFSC - American Friends Service Committee 1917 - Present
AIM - American Indian Movement 1968 - Present
ALAWF - American League Against War And Fascism c. 1930’s
APA - American Protective Association 1887-c. 1898
APC - Anti-Preparedness Committee 1915-?
APC - All People’s Congress (communist)
APS - American Peace Society 1928-?
ASU - American Student Union 1935-1940
AQAG - American Quaker Action Group
ATOM - Alternatives To Militarism
AVLIA - Avoid Vietnam In Latin America
AUAM - American Union Against Militarism
AWSA - American Women's Suffrage Association
AYD - American Youth For Democracy 1943-1948
AWOC - Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee
BPP - Black Panther Party 1966 - PRESENT
CAIFI - Committee For Artistic And Intellectual Freedom In Iran
CAL - Comitee D'action Lyceens (France)
CALC- Clergy And Laymen Concerned
CATS - Committee Against Training Schools (Canada)
CCAR - Campus Coalition Against Racism (University of Maryland)
СССО - Central Committee For Conscientious Objectors
CDFP - Campaign For A Democratic Foreign Policy
CDO - Campus Draft Organization
СЕРА - Consumers Education And Protection Association
CEPTIA - Committee To End Pay Toilets In America 1969-1976
CIIR - Catholic Institute For International Relations
CIRR - Center On International Race Relations
CND - Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament
CNSS - Center For National Security Studies
CNVA - Committee For. Non Violent Action
CNVR - Committee For Non-Violent Revolution 1945-?
CODEP - Council For A Department Of Peace
COFO - Council Of Federated Organizations 1960-? (SNCC, SCLC, CORE, NAACP)
COPRED - Consortium On Peace Research Education And Development 1942-Present
CORE - Congress Of Racial Equality 1942-Present
COYOTE - Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics
CPP - Citizens For Participation Politics
CPAC - Connecticut Peace Action Coalition
CPPAX - Citizens For Participation In Political Action
CPLA - Conference For Progressive Labor Action
CPRH - Conference On Peace Research In History
CPS - Chicago Peace Society Pre WWI
CPUSA - Communist Party: USA
CSRE - Committee For Social Responsibility In Engineering
DRUM - Democratic Radical Unión Of Maryland 1970-?
ECLC - Emergency Civil Liberties Committee
EPC - Emergency Peace Campaign
ERAP - Economic Research And Action Project 1963-1965
ESA - Engage/Social Action
FCCP - Friends Coordinating Committee For Peace
FOR - Fellowship Of Reconciliation 1914 (England) 1915-Present (USA)
GLF - Gay Liberation Front
IAEWP - International Association Of Educators For World Peace
ILL - Intercollegiate Liberal League 1912-?
IPB - International Peace Bureau Pre WWI
ISCA - Independent Socialist Clubs of America 1962-?
ISI - Intercollegiate Society Of Individualists
ISS - Intercollegiate Socialist Society
IWW - International Workers Of The World (WOBBLIES) 1905-Present
ISO - International Socialist Organization (ended 2019)
JCR - Jeunesse Communiste Revolutionaire (France)
JDL - Jewish Defense League
JOIN - Jobs Or Income Now
KAOWC - Keep America Out Of War Committee ?-1938
LAP - Labour Action Party
LCFO - Lowndes County Freedom Organization 1965-?
LID - League For Industrial Democracy 1921-?
LULAC - League O F United Latin American Citizens 1929-Present
LYL -Labor Youth League 1948-1957
M2M - May Second Movement ?-1965
MAPS - Movement Against Political Suspensions
MASS PAX - Massachusetts Political Action For Peace
MAYO - Mexican American Youth Organization 1968-Present
MCHR - Medical Committee For Human Rights
MECHA - Movimiento Estudiantil De Chicano De Aztlan ("Chicano Student Movement of Aztlán") 1969-Present
MDS - Movement for a Democratic Society 1967-1969
MVAC - Military And Veterans Action Committee
NAACP - National Association For The Advancement Of Colored People 1910-Present
NAIF - National Association For Irish Freedom
NAPRA - National Association for Puerto Rican Affairs
NARAL - National Abortion Rights Action League
NARMIC - National Action Research On The Military Industrial Complex
NBAWADU - National Black Antiwar Antidraft Union 1968-?
NCAWRR - National Coalition Against War Racism And Oppression 1970/71
NCCCW - National Committee on Causes and Cures of War
NCCEWV - National Coordinating Committee to End War in Vietnam
NCDA - National Coalition for Development Action
NCRD - National Council to Repeat the Draft
NCPW - National Council For Prevention Of War
NCU - National Community Union
NCUUA - National Council For Universal And Unconditional Amnesty
NISBCO - National Interreligious Service Board For Conscientious Objectors
NỌN - National Organization For Non Parents
NORML - National Organization For The Reform Of Marijuana Laws
NOW - National Organization For Women
N-PAC - National Peace Academy Program
NPAC - National Peace Action Coalition
NSCAR - National Student Coalition Against Racism
NSC - National Student Committee For The Limitation of Armaments 1921-?
NSL - National Student League 1932-1936
NSLF - National Socialist Liberation Front
NSM - Northern Student Movement
NSM - National Socialist Movement
NSPA - National Socialist Party of America
NTO - National Tenants Organization
NWRO - National Welfare Rights Organization
NWSO - National Woman Suffrage Association
NYPS - New York Peace Society Pre-WWI
OC/ALSO - Organizing Committee For A New African Liberation Support Committee
OL - October League
ORFIT - Organization For Repeat Of The Federal Income Tax 1966-?
PAAU - Peace Action From The Atlantic To The Urals
PASSO - Political Association Of Spanish Speaking Organizations 1960-Present
PBC - Peoples Bicentennial Commission
PAM - People’s Antiwar Mobilization
PCPJ - People’s Coalition for Peace and Justice c. 1971
PCV - Port Chicago Vigil
PFLP - Popular Front For The Liberation of Palestine
PLO - Palestine Liberation Organization
PIRG - Public Interest Research Group
PLP - Progressive Labor Party 1962-Present
PRP - Peace Resource Project 1983-1990
PPT - People’s Peace Treaty
P/RAC - Poverty / Rights Action Center
PYOC - Progressive Youth Organizing Committee
RCP - Revolutionary Communist Party 1975-Present
RSB - Revolutionary Student Brigade 1974-Present
SANE - Committee For A Sane Nuclear Policy 1957-Present
SCEF - Southern Conference Educational Fund
SCLC - Southern Christian Leadership Conference 1957-Present
SDA - Students For A Democratic America
SDS - Socialist Students League (Germany)
SDS - Students For A Democratic Society (USA) 1965-70
SECO - Children’s Union (Sweden)
SEDFRE - Scholarship Education And Defense Fund For Racial Equality
SFA - Students For America 1952-55?
SFL - Sexual Freedom League
SLAP - Student Labor Action Project 1968-?
SLID - Student League For Industrial Democracy 1932-1935, Post WWII
SNCC - Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee 1960-1970
SODEPAX - Society Development And Peace (World Council Of Churches)
SP - Socialist Party 1901-?
SPS - Student Peace Service
SPU - Student Peace Union 1959-1964
SSOC - Southern Student Organizing Committee 1964-?
SSRS - Society For Social Responsibility And Science
SWP - Socialist Workers Party 1938-Present
SYA - Socialist Youth Alliance (Australia)
SYL - Socialist Youth League 1946-1954
TFORAM - Task Force On Recruitment And Militarism
TUAD - Trade Union for Action and Democracy
TUEL - Trade Union Education League 1920-1929
TUUL - Trade Union Unity League 1929-1935
UCM - University Christian Movement
UFWOC - United Farm Workers Organizing Committee
UFW - United Farm Workers
UNDO - Union For National Draft Opposition
UPU - Universal Peace Union 1866-?
VDC - Vietnam Day Committee 1965
VMC - Vietnam Mobilization Committee 1969-1970
VVAW - Vietnam Veterans Against The War In Vietnam
WWOAR - War Women Organized About Rape
WCTU - Woman’s Christian Temperance Union
WFUSA - World Federalists USA
WIDF - Women’s International Democratic Federation
WILPF - Women’s International League For Peace And Freedom 1915-Present
WOAR - Women Organized Against Rape 1973- Present (PA.)
WONAAC - Women’s National Abortion Action Coalition
WPC - World Peace Council
WPP - Woman’s Peace Party 1915-?
WPTF - World Peace Tax Fund
WRL - War Resisters League 1923-Present
WSA - Worker Student Alliance
WSO - Winter Soldier Organization
WSP - Women Strike For Peace
WTR - War Tax Resistance
WUO - Weather Underground Organization
WWP - Workers World Party
WWWC - World Without War Council
YAF - Young Americans For Freedom 1960-
YAWF - Youth Against War and Fascism 1974 Era
YCAW - Youth Committee Against War 1935-1941
YCFD - Youth Committee For Democracy 1941-
YCL - Young Communist League 1921-1941
YCND - Youth Committee For Nuclear Disarmament (Great Britain)
YCOP - Youth Committee For The Oxford Pledge 1937 - WWII
YIP - Youth International Party
YPSL - Young People’s Socialist League 1907-?
YSA - Young Socialist Alliance 1958 - Present
YSL - Young Socialist League 1950s
YWLL - Young Workers Liberation League 1970- Present
ZOA - Zionist Organization Of America
ZPG - Zero Population Growth - 1968 - Present