White text around an illustration of the NBC peacock on a black background

This button is from a studio tour of the NBC Chicago. NBC Chicago is located in the NBC Tower in the heart downtown Chicago. The tour offers visitors a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of television broadcasting and the various sound stages, greenrooms, production offices etc. The tour is available to the public and offers free tours for students.

Blue illustration of Chicago skyline made with musical instruments on a dark blue background with blue text

The Chicago Blues Festival is a free event held every June showcasing the top blues musicians in the industry. The festival started in 1984 to honor renowned blues musician Mckinley Morganfield who passed the year before. He was considered the “father of Chicago blues". WXRT radio station is one of the sponsors for the event and each year they design their own merchandise for the festival.  For the 2014 festival, they created the image on this button. It highlights a few of the important buildings in Chicago’s skyline with a musical twist. For example, the iconic Sears Tower in the middle of the button is made up of piano keys.

Blue and orange-red illustration of a bird over an orange-red banner with dark blue text on a blue background

The Chicago Blues Festival is a free event held every June showcasing the top blues musicians in the industry. The festival started in 1984 to honor renowned blues musician Mckinley Morganfield who passed the year before. He was considered the “father of Chicago blues". WXRT radio station is one of the sponsors for the event and each year they design their own merchandise for the festival. For the 2013 festival, they created the image on this button. It depicts an eagle which is the nations emblem, but if looked at closely, it also doubles as a guitar.

Black and white backward letter R on a yellow background with an outer black edge with white text and two yellow stars on it.

The Chicago Reader began their Readers’ Poll in 2008 with the release of their "Best of Chicago" annual series. In 2010 it included five categories: Goods and Services, Food and Drink, Arts and Entertainment, Sports and Recreation, and Civics. Four categories consisted of somewhere between 20 and 40 polls of various businesses throughout Chicago; the fifth category, Civics had one poll asking who should run against Mayor Daley in 2011. The staff of the Chicago Reader also publish their top picks for various honorable mentions. 

Illustration of the earth with a sign with black text on a white background

Zero population growth (ZPG) is an ideology that some believe should be the ultimate goal of society - that the number of people in a specific area neither increases nor decreases. ZPG gained popularity in the late 1960s as a political movement by people who believed that the continual increase in population was the source for many of the world’s problems, like pollution and violence. ZPG can be achieved through multiple ways, one such being limiting births and immigration. China, for example adopted this policy with the one child policy.

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The argument against capital punishment dates back to the colonial period in America, with one of the most famous early texts being Cesare Beccaria's On Crimes and Punishment, published in 1767. The movement gained wider attention at the end of the nineteenth century with the rise of progressive ideals. In recent history, there have been several influential court decisions on the constitutionality of capital punishment, first in Furman v Georgia in 1972, in which the Supreme Court found the practice of capital punishment unconstitutional, but did not mandate that states update their individual practices. This decision was later overturned in 1976 with Gregg v. Georgia.

Anti-death penalty activists frequently point to the disproportionate amount of African American and Hispanic Americans executed. Studies which have shown that the "deterrent" factor - death penalty as a means to deter others from committing similar crimes- has little to no effect on crime rates. Between 1973 and 2005, 123 people were released from death row after being exonerated leading activists to argue that the death penalty will inevitably lead to the execution of innocent people. As of October 2019, 42% of Americans were opposed to the death penalty, with 56% in favor, and 2% having no opinion.

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The Wisconsin AFL-CIO is a labor union for workers in Wisconsin. During a protest in 2011 over a bill that would cut funding and prevent collective bargaining, Wisconsin native Carrie Worth designed the iconic image that is on this button. The fist has always been a symbol of protest, but this fist specifically is in the shape of Wisconsin with the white star marking the city of Madison; the state Capitol and where the protests took place. The logo, Stand for Wisconsin was meant as a call to the nation to stand up and stand with the Wisconsin workers.

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On June 25, 1910 Congress passed the Mann Act (also known as the White Slave Traffic Act). Initially it was passed with the supposed aim of protecting innocent girls from being lured or trafficked into prostitution. The law made it illegal to “transport any woman or girl” across state lines for “any immoral purpose.” As such although it was created with the idea that no female would choose prostitution, it has been used to criminalize even relationships that are consensual.

Due to the colorful history of the Mann act being used to charge famous figures, such as Jack Johnson, Charlie Chaplin, or Chuck Berry it has fallen under suspicion and allegations of racism. Over time this has led to calls for repealing the Act. Instead of being repealed however, it has been amended several times to update the language and to expand coverage to include child pornography issues.

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Peanuts and tree nuts are among the most common allergens that can become life-threatening conditions. Although many food allergies are minor, some are severe and can end with a person going into anaphylactic shock where they have difficulty breathing and vomiting from proximal contact with, rather than consumption, of the allergen. In dire situations as this, an Epi-pen, or dose of epinephrine, may be needed so the person can limit the risks and have enough time to be escorted to the hospital.

A study done in 2011 found that only 20% of children outgrew their peanut allergy and that 2% of all children have it. Due to the possible severity of the allergy, some institutions like schools and workplaces do not allow peanuts or have a separate allergen-free eating area. Airplanes, once known for distributing peanuts to their customers as part of the flight, have now switched to pretzels or other snack options to eliminate customers exposure in a small area.