White button with black text and the image of Africa. Namibia is highlighted in red on the illustration. 

Namibia was a former German territory (formerly named South West Africa) that was placed under South African control after the end of World War I. At the end of the Second World War, many indigenous people in Africa sought to gain independence from colonial powers. Freedom leaders in Namibia petitioned the United Nations to revoke the colonial power of South Africa, claiming that the South African government abused its power. In 1966, the U.N. revoked South African sovereignty over Namibia, yet South Africa refused to recognize this mandate. A series of guerilla attacks occurred between South African and Namibian forces. The Namibian War for Independence ended in 1988, with the help of Western intervention. Namibia held elections in 1990 and has maintained independence since then.

Green button with white text.

The Equal Rights Amendment was proposed to guarantee equal rights for women in both 1923 and 1972. The ERA passed Congress and was proposed for ratification on March 22, 1972 with a seven year deadline for ratification. As the deadline approached advocates protested for an extension and, as a result of these protests, Congress moved the deadline to June 30, 1982. The ERA fell three states short of ratification by the extended deadline.

The top half of the button is yellow with orange text and the bottom half is orange with yellow text.

White button with black text. The Shell logo is in the background.

The Boycott Shell movement was part of anti-apartheid movement started in 1987 by organizations in the U.S., the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Apartheid was a South African policy that discriminated against black citizens based on race. Shell was a main target of this movement because it provided fuel to the South African military and police, who maintained the apartheid. According to the boycotters, the South African government could not maintain the apartheid without companies like Shell, because it did not have its own oil supply. As the boycott continued, local groups picketed Shell stations throughout Great Britain, causing Shell’s share of the U.K. market to fall by 6.6%. The apartheid in South Africa officially ended in 1994.

Blue button with black panther in the center. 

In 1966 Huey Newton and Bobby Seale formed a Black Power, Socialist organization in Oakland, California. They called their group the Black Panther Party and their symbol was a pouncing black panther. Members organized armed patrols to monitor the police and cut down on police brutality. They also established and ran free breakfast programs for school children. This button was not actually used by the Black Panthers, although the panther looks like the panther on many of their buttons. It was made for the movie Born on the 4th of July (1989) to be worn by actors in a protest scene. Born on the 4th of July is based on the autobiography of Vietnam veteran Ron Kovak who was paralyzed in the Vietnam War and, after returning home, became an antiwar activist.

White and pink text on a black button.

Apartheid was a system of complete racial segregation in South Africa from 1948-1994, which allowed the white minority to maintain control. Black South Africans were forced to carry special documents to enter restricted areas and, in 1970, they lost the right to vote. Some American businesses began to cut off trade with and investment in South African businesses in the mid 1970s. In the 1980s images of the struggles to end Apartheid in South Africa influenced many Americans to protest and demand economic boycotts of South Africa. There were protests on College campuses in the United States to divest from South Africa and in 1986 a bill came before Congress for the same purpose. Reagan vetoed the bill, but the Senate overrode his veto.

The Churches' Emergency Committee on Southern Africa (C.E.C.S.A.) was formed in 1986 and asked banks with loans to South Africa not to renew them as a way of protesting apartheid. They also lobbied the U.S. government to place economic sanctions on South Africa. This button was a part of their efforts.

Navy blue text and blue stars around it on a gold background

Adlai Stevenson II ran for President in 1952 and 1956 and lost to President Eisenhower both times. This button was made for the 1960 presidential primary and was given out at voting drives and political conventions. Stevenson refused to campaign for the nomination a third time, but announced that he would accept if the Democratic Party offered it to him. He had many supporters who campaigned for him, including Eleanor Roosevelt, but he lost to John F. Kennedy in the primary.

White text on a red white and blue button with blue stars and a black and white photograph of McGovern in the center.

An American historian and author, George McGovern was elected as a US Senator from South Dakota in 1962 after a previous failed bid in 1960. As one of the first politicians to speak out publicly against America's growing involvement in Vietnam, McGovern would become most known in the Senate for his outspoken opposition to the Vietnam War. McGovern's platform during his 1972 presidential campaign included a comprehensive plan to end the war in Vietnam, a substantial cut in federal defense spending, and a "demogrant" program—which sought to replace inflated welfare bureaucracies with a pledge to give every American citizen $1,000. Although McGovern captured the votes of activists and reform liberals, his opponent, Republican incumbent Richard Nixon, managed to defeat McGovern in one of the biggest landslides in American history.

Red button with white text. The "O" in McGovern is the Venus symbol with an "=" sign in the middle. 

An American historian and author, George McGovern was elected as a US Senator from South Dakota in 1962 after a previous failed bid in 1960. As one of the first politicians to speak out publicly against America's growing involvement in Vietnam, McGovern would become most known in the Senate for his outspoken opposition to the Vietnam War. McGovern's platform during his 1972 presidential campaign included a comprehensive plan to end the war in Vietnam, a substantial cut in federal defense spending, and a "demogrant" program—which sought to replace inflated welfare bureaucracies with a pledge to give every American citizen $1,000. Although McGovern captured the votes of activists and reform liberals, his opponent, Republican incumbent Richard Nixon, managed to defeat McGovern in one of the biggest landslides in American history.

On this button, the “o” in “McGovern” is replaced with the symbol of supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment, a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would ensure equal rights for women. The platform of McGovern’s 1972 presidential bid included support for the amendment.

A photograph of Jessie Jackson is above red text on a white button. 

Jesse Jackson ran for the Democratic nomination for President in 1984 and 1988 and was the second African American man to run, but the first viable African American candidate. He was active in the Civil Rights movement and worked for SCLC with Martin Luther King, Jr.  In 1971, after leaving SCLC, he formed PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity) and in 1984 he formed the Rainbow Coalition to fight for civil rights for minorities, women, and homosexuals. These two groups became his political base and were merged in 1996.