White and red text on a black background

This button is likely a political slogan and worn to support a political campaign of Mayor Richard J. Daley. Daley served as the mayor of Chicago from 1955 until 1976, his death. Daley’s tight control over Chicago politics earned him the nickname as “the last of the big-city bosses.” He has been reelected in 1959, 1963, 1967, 1971, and 1975, serving five full terms and a partial term. It is the longest-serving mayor to date. He mainly focused on municipal services and architectural projects to contribute to the image of Chicago as “the city that works.” His reputation for personal honesty, hard work, and openness to the press is what led the voters of Chicago to bring a tremendous amount of loyalty and reelect him for each term. Before serving as the mayor, Daley also served as a state representative and senator, the state director of revenue, and the clerk of Cook County.

Yellow and blue text on a white background

Wipe Out Waste (WOW) likely refers to the promotion of the reduction of waste through conservation efforts, including reducing, reusing, and recycling. In order to "wipe out waste," items are reused or re-purposed and recycled rather than disposed of in an overall effort to promote an environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

Blue text over silver background

As the five-term Senator from Arizona, Barry Goldwater offered one of the leading solutions to the Cold War that was endorsed by Capitol Hill. He argued that the only way to effectively deal with communism was to totally demolish it. In stark contrast to Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright, Goldwater did not find the containment policy to be viable and thought co-existence with communism was unacceptable. He adamantly rejected the “mutual accommodation” strategy peddled by the Democrats and instead, took an all-or-nothing stance.

When Goldwater vied for the presidency in 1964, his strong views on the Cold War bled into his campaign. In fact, “Victory Over Communism” was one of many slogans crafted and advertised by his team. Goldwater, however, was soundly beat by incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson. After his failed campaign, he went on to serve another two decades in the Senate before leaving Congress for good in 1987.

Black and white illustration of a woman's head and shoulders with black text across the bottom

Sojourner Truth, originally named Isabella Baumfree, was born in 1797 and died in 1883 at age 86. She was a prominent African-American abolitionist that also promoted Women’s rights and sought to aid former slaves adjust to a life of freedom. After escaping slavery in 1826, with her infant daughter, Truth changed her name and settled in nearby New Paltz, New York with a family willing to take in her and her daughter. In 1828, Truth took John Dumont, her former master, to court for the custody of her older children that still were the property of Dumont. She won and became the first African-American woman to successfully beat a white man in court over a slave custody case. Truth later went on to advocate for African-American involvement in the Union Army to help the war effort. In 1999, a 12-foot bronze statute was erected in her honor and placed in Battle Creek, Michigan where she is buried. 

Black text and a black and white photograph on a white background

On January 8, 1985, Father Lawrence Martin Jenco, a Catholic Priest and Joliet, Illinois native, was taken hostage in Beirut, Lebanon by Islamic radical militants. Jenco had been in Lebanon overseeing Catholic Relief Services when five men subdued and kidnapped him. He was held in a variety of locations for 564 days until he was rescued on July 26, 1986. Jenco was released relatively unharmed after successful negotiating by the Reagan administration to convince the Islamic radicals to release him. 

White text on an outer pink ring and a purple diamond on a white background

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White text on a green background

In 1972, the Movement for Economic Justice formed to promote progressive taxation and wealth redistribution in order to benefit all Americans. This concept for wealth redistribution similarly follows the beliefs of Robin Hood, a legendary figure originally from English folklore. A skilled archer and swordsman, he is a heroic outlaw that often acts as a champion of the people, fighting injustice and corruption by robbing from the rich and giving to the poor.

Teal text on a white background

"Publish Women or Perish" is most likely tied to the Feminist Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. During this time, there was a push to publish books and other literature by women and about feminist issues.

White text on a blue background

With the development of nuclear weapons during and after World War Two the world entered a new era in which peace among the developed countries became maintained by the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (or M.A.D.). This concept states that if any country were to attack another with nuclear weapons that they would trigger a global nuclear war that would lead to the deaths of millions around the globe. This sparked an arms race known as the Cold War as many developed countries quickly acted to prevent from being left vulnerable to external attack. The United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics became the largest holders of nuclear weapons throughout the 20th century to even now. Citizens of both countries during the Cold War implored their governments to halt the arms race and to reduce the capacity for producing these weapons using similar rhetoric. 

Green illustration of grapes with a red circle and line through the center on a white background

This button is most likely pertaining to the Delano Grape Strike of 1965 in California, a protest that occurred specifically among the Filipino and Latino farm worker communities. Hoping to obtain higher wages and safer working conditions, members of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee and the National Farm Workers Association joined together to lead workers towards the movement for overall better working environments. Protesters were supported and joined by such leaders as Cesar Chavez and U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, as well as by students and civil rights groups, in a peaceful 300-mile march from Delano to Sacramento. The momentum behind the movement launched a boycott on table grapes until 1970 when table grape growers signed the first union contracts. This led to the eventual dissolution of the "divide and rule" mentality of growers over workers.