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The struggle for desegregation in schools was a major component of the Civil Rights Movement, and the landmark Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education outlawed school segregation in 1954.  Despite this ruling, actual change was slow to occur, and it took years for many schools to be integrated. 

Despite the fact that desegregation efforts in northern cities received much less attention than those in their southern counterparts, the integration process in Philadelphia was not an easy one. The city had a long history of keeping Black and white students and teachers separated. District policies kept Black teachers from teaching white children and Black administrators from supervising white teachers.  In 1961, the NAACP in Philadelphia started a school desegregation lawsuit in federal court, and in 1963 the court ordered the school board to develop a desegregation plan and file regular progress reports. Although the school board organized committees and ordered studies and reports, led largely by school employees,  change was limited to symbolic victories.

Illustration of small white animals in a ring around white text on a blue background.

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In 1960, students began rebelling against the social injustices and authoritarianism of the 1950s. The student movement was labeled as the New Left, referring to the new left-leaning political activists. Student activists participated in the Civil Rights Movement, anti-war protests, women's rights movements, and gay liberation movements.

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In 1969, President Nixon's Vice President, Spiro Agnew, made the comment that anti-Vietnam War protestors were "an effete corps of impudent snobs." Following his statement, protestors took his phrase and turned it into their slogan. This button was most likely worn by anti-war activists.

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"I am proud to be a muslim," is a proclamation of those who identify themselves as Muslim and practice the Islam faith. The “I am proud to be Muslim” phrase also appears in t-shirts, mugs, stickers and similar items. In the Islamic faith, Muslims are encouraged to share their faith with others. However, Muslims are told not to attack others' beliefs or engage in conflicts or debates about matters of religion.

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In the 1960s, Underground Uplift Unlimited, based in Manhattan, produced buttons with countercultural slogans.

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Illustration of unfolded wire coat hanger with a red and dripping end on a white background.  Red text below illustration.

The wire coat hanger is infamously associated with unsafe or illegal abortion, in which a straightened wire hanger is inserted into a pregnant woman's uterus in the attempt to abort a fetus. The image has been often used by pro-choice groups to protest anti-abortion legislation. 

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Let's Get It Back, America was a musical filmed on location in Washington, D.C. tells the history of the 20th century U.S. Government's budget. Created in 1980, the musical features actors who portray Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. It's producer, Lowry Coe, and directors Gene Bayliss and Paul Raimondi had the support of corporate sponsors such as the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America.

Text above and below an illustration of Emma Goldman on a yellow background.

This quote comes from a 1931 writing by Emma Goldman titled "Living My Life" in which she described an encounter with a young boy who referred to her dancing as unbefitting and dishonorable for someone promoting the anarchist Cause. Goldman stated, "I did not believe that a Cause which stood for a beautiful ideal, for anarchism, for release and freedom from convention and prejudice, should demand the denial of life and joy." She then went on to say, "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution."

Emma Goldman was a political activist and writer during the beginning of the 20th century. She is known for her free-thinking and rebellious anarchist and communist beliefs. Her writings include discussions on free love, marriage, free speech, atheism, prisons, homosexuality, and capitalism, among other topics. In the 1970s, Goldman's activism and writings were rediscovered by those involved with the feminist and anarchist movements, reviving an interest in her.

Emma, Goldman. "Living My Life." 1931. Online: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/emma-goldman-living-my-life. Accessed 30 June, 2017.