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The Royal Blind Society of New South Wales was started in 1879 as the Sydney Industrial Blind Institution, evolving into the RBS in 1952. It existed as a separate entity until it was merged with other organizations to become Vision Australia, a national non-profit provider of services for the blind or low-vision impaired.

The “2/-“ on the button represents 2 shillings, a form of currency in use in Australia until conversion to a decimal system in 1966.

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Abner Mikva was an American politician who lived from 1926-2016. He served in all three branches of government throughout his career including as a federal judge, a senator, and as an advisor to President Clinton. Mikva was a mentor to a young Illinois politician, Barack Obama, and was one of the people that encouraged him to run for president. During Mikva’s campaigns for senate, campaign volunteers, including children, were called “Mikva Messengers”, going door to door to talk about the campaign and try to connect with voters.  On August 20, 1978, Vice President Mondale came to Illinois and attended events and rallies promoting local democrats, including Mikva.

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The song “Wild Women Don’t Get the Blues,” alternatively known as “Wild Women Don’t Have the Blues,” or “Wild Women,” was written in 1924 by blues legend Ida Cox. Cox got her start in vaudeville, but when its popularity waned she turned to the blues. Many of her songs were directed to women who were ground down in life, but searching for dignity and respect.

Red illustration and text on a white background. An above-the-shoulder illustration of a man in a suit who has a bird perched atop his shoulder. 

Mr. Rumple-Bumple was a cheerful mascot created by Troy Laundry, a professional laundry service that operated in various U.S. cities during the early to mid-20th century. The illustration shows a smiling man in a suit and tie with a flower in his lapel and a bird perched on his shoulder, all printed in bright red on a white background. The character’s whimsical name likely plays off the idea of removing “rumples” or wrinkles from clothing, fitting for a laundry service aiming to be both reliable and memorable.

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The Presbyterian Church has a long history in Queensland, Australia. As documented in a history of the church for a centenary event, from their perspective the church began in 1849 as a missionary movement to colonize and convert the Aboriginal people of the land. The Aboriginal people defended themselves against the forced imposition of religious beliefs, which often resulted in violent events as the church persisted its mission. The Church went through a number of iterations and ups and downs—including having a cyclone destroy the church and mission station in 1936. For the centenary event in 1949 they created a new church building and the site became a local monument in Queensland. In 2023, the Church refused to take part in acknowledgement of country, a recognition of the Aboriginal owners of the land that takes place at many Australian public events; Australia remains the only country colonized by Britain that has no government treaty with the Indigenous people. 

A blue-toned movie poster for the movie The Bodyguard. The image features a bodyguard played by Kevin Costner who carries a popstar played by Whitney Houston. Large white text appears at bottom.

The 1992 thriller romance The Bodyguard follows a singer (Whitney Houston) who hires a bodyguard (Kevin Costner) to protect her after receiving threats. The iconic movie poster seen on this button featured Costner carrying Houston through the rain. However, Costner later revealed in an interview that the person in the picture was acutally Houston’s body double. 

An illustration of Daffy Duck with the red and white stripes of the American flag in the background. The rim is blue with white text. 

Looney Tunes began as animated short films from Warner Brothers in the 1930s. Tex Avery began working on Looney Tunes in 1935. He created the iconic characters Daffy Duck in 1937 and Bugs Bunny a year later. Daffy Duck’s character was later redesigned and given a personality change by cartoonist Chuck Jones, becoming more insecure and arrogant with a desire for the spotlight. The spunky duck is known for his catchphrase “Youuu’re deththpicable”. The button promoting Daffy Duck for President is one of several presidential campaign buttons featuring Looney Tunes characters, including buttons for the characters Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote. 

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Psychotherapy—also known as talk therapy—has its roots in ancient Greek culture. Philosophers including Plato, Xenophon, and Aristotle all explored the connections between mental health and medicine. Paracelsus (1493-1541) is credited as the first advocate for the use of what we now call psychotherapy, who viewed the most common cause of metal illness as being an emotional disconnect between the suffering person and their surroundings. The early versions of modern psychothereapy were founded by Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), Philippe Pinel (1745-1826), and Walter Cooper Dendy (1794-1871). It wasn’t until Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), however, that “talking cures” were introduced in therapy; Freud, alongside Jesof Breuer (1842-1925), formally founded psychoanalysis.

People seek therapy to address concerns surrounding relationship conflicts, professional and personal challenges, mood changes and fears, anxiety and stress, and traumatic experiences and PTSD, amongst other reasons. But there exist negative attitudes, beliefs, and discriminatory behaviors directed towards those suffering from mental health issues and seeking professional help. “Even Your Therapist Doesn’t Care” is a biting social commentary on the bias and stigma surrounding psychotherapy. The idea here is that no one, including a person’s therapist, truly wants to hear about a person’s mental health problems and that a person should “push through.”

Even still, studies have shown that about 75% of people who receive therapy report significant improvements to their symptoms. This button sheds light on the importance of de-stigmatizing therapy.

A photo of Sojourner Truth against a yellow background. Text appears to the left of the photo.

Sojourner Truth, born in New York in 1797, was an abolitionist, orator, and activist who based many of her endeavors on first-hand experience as a former slave. The abuse and injustice Truth experienced during her years in slavery inspired her to flee in 1827. She and her daughter sought safety in an abolitionist family named the Van Wageners who ultimately bought her freedom. Following her newfound freedom, Truth began preaching as a minister in New York City and later took to traveling, spreading the Gospel and meeting other famous abolitionists such as William Lloyd Garrison. In 1850, her autobiography, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth was published. Throughout the 1850s and during the Civil War, Truth continued to give anti-slavery talks around the country and was later honored with a White House invitation.