Black, white, red, yellow, brown and green text on a white background

The colors listed on this button refer to outdated terms for people of different race and skin color. The crossing out of each color with only the word “human” remaining connotes that instead of focusing on the differences amongst people of different ethnicities, people should instead focus on the fact that people are all the same because they are all human.

White and red text on an American flag background

This button was created for people in the United States who wanted to express their feelings on the U.S. government’s involvement in war. Many Americans oppose the United States' continued participation in wars that were considered unwinnable and everlasting. 

Illustration of a green holiday wreath with red berries and a red ribbon in the shape of a peace sign on a white background

This button utilizes the iconic peace symbol in the form of a holiday wreath, and may have been used during the holiday season for protests.

The peace sign was originally created in 1958 by Gerald Holtom for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Inspired partly by semaphore flag signals for "N" and "D" (Nuclear Disarmament), Holtom sketched the symbol several times in preparation for the upcoming protests. Afterward the symbol was adopted by the American Student Peace Union in the 1960s, it grew to become the iconic symbol that we know today. Holtom passed away in 1985, and his collection of sketches was donated to the Commonweal Collection at the University of Bradford.

Black and red text on a white background

The slogan is most often seen in relation to LGBT activism and equality. It refers to the belief that people are not born prejudiced, but rather taught to hate specific groups of people by their family members and in order to effect real change and make the word a better place, people must first start by teaching their children to treat everyone with respect and kindness.

Illustration of the Uncle Sam caharacter surrounded by red text on a light blue background

Silver text on a black inner circle surrounded by an outer silver edge with red text

This button protests the Strategic Defense Initiative, which was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the U.S. from attack by strategic nuclear weapons. President Ronald Reagan first proposed the system in 1983, during the Cold War with the former Soviet Union. In the mainstream media, SDI was nicknamed as “Star Wars” in reference to the popular film franchise.  Critics of SDI used the nickname derisively, implying that it was impractical science fiction fantasy and did much to damage the project’s credibility. Those who opposed the Strategic Defense Initiative felt that the technology was unreliable and was dangerous to humanity.

Black text on a grey background

On March 19, 1940, Albert Einstein wrote, “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” He wrote this in a letter to Morris Raphael Cohen, a professor of philosophy at the City College of New York, defending the appointment of Bertrand Russell to a teaching position. Bertrand Russell was a British philosopher, mathematician, historian, and social critic. The quote is stating that violent oppression is the actions taken by the establishment. Mediocre minds would be the bureaucrats staffing the establishment. In a sense, these are words of encouragement to those who would try to bring change. 

White text with a black outline on a grey background

"Truth Decay" is a term that is used to express the idea that absolute, objective and universal truth is considered implausible. The slogan, "Fight Truth Decay" refers to the idea that people can prevent Truth Decay. That they can maintain the idea that there is one Truth, and that it isn't replaced with many truths. 

Illustrations from photographs of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X on a white background with red text

Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X fought for racial equality. Malcolm X was an American Muslim minister and a human rights activist, who advocated for the rights of blacks and has been called one of the greatest and most influential Africa Americans in history. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American Baptist minister, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is famously known for his role in the advancements of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience. Both figures are very prominent African American individuals who fought for what they stood for and changed history. 

Silver text on a black background

Racial justice and the fight against racism has had many faces as different organizations have been prominent in the movement over the last century in America. The movements have been aimed at making social change to fix society’s damaged system that put people who are in minorities of the population, predominantly black including people of color (BIPOC), at a disadvantage. These justice movements began in the 20th century and include the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott, which boycotted public transportation due to their mandated segregation, and the 1963 Birmingham Campaign, which was aimed at ending economic policies that discriminated.

In the 2010s and 2020s, these movements shifted towards ending the root cause of these systemic issues, racism, as opposed to treating the ill effects of the actions. The mission of ending racism in society and governing agencies helps ensure a more just and equitable society with fair and equal treatment for all races and enables a society where people have equitable opportunities to be safe and successful.