Black text on yellow background. 

Apartheid was a system of racial segregation enforced by the National Party government of South Africa from 1948 to 1994, in which black South Africans were disenfranchised and deprived of many rights, while white supremacy and Afrikaner rule was maintained. Apartheid sparked internal resistance as well as a trade and arms embargo against South Africa. 

Along with several other civil rights activists, the former president of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela is credited with dismantling the apartheid system by investigating human rights violations under apartheid; addressing racism, poverty, and inequality; and introducing education and economic development initiatives to the black community.

Blue large, capitalized, bold text on a white background.  Upper and lower portions of button are blue.

The "senior power" political movement emerged in the 1960s and '70s, spurred on by the Older Americans Act of 1965. Older adults formed local and national groups to lobby for increased Social Security, lower taxes, reduced rates on public transportation, and affordable housing. Some leading groups that used the "senior power" slogan were the National Council of Senior Citizens and the American Association of Retired Persons. Group members wore their "senior power" buttons to political conventions and local conferences or to the polls while voting. Some "senior power" buttons included the name of an organization or candidate; others simply featured the slogan.

Image of red-outlined star and blue streaks with blue and red text on white background. 

These buttons were given to participants in the March of Dimes’ Walk America.  WalkAmerica began in 1970 as the first charitable walking event, and in 2007 the event was changed to March for Babies.  The March of Dimes was founded in 1938 by Franklin D. Roosevelt during his U.S. Presidency as a nonprofit organization combating polio.  Polio is an incurable disease which enters through the central nervous system and most associated as a feared childhood disease in the U.S. during the 20th century.  The March of Dimes promotes advocacy, awareness, and research for polio and vaccination against polio.  This same logo can be seen on WalkAmerica merchandise specifically dated during 1983, including a photograph from that same year of legendary golfer and longtime March of Dimes Honorary Chairman Arnold Palmer with the late Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska (viewable to the public via the Ted Stevens Paper Project).

Bold white text on green background.

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Illustration of a stick figure child sitting on a star reading a book. Yellow stars and red and black text on blue background. 

Likely a promotional button for a school library or public library reading program for children. One example of these types of programs is the Central Kansas Library System's Summer Reading Program, which offers incentives for preschool and school age children to visit the library and to read. The program, which was started in 1977, focuses on reading for fun and improving children's literacy. 

Bold orange text above American Lung Association symbol on yellow background. 

“Yes, I mind if you smoke” was a phrase used in infomercials and on other promotional materials by the American Lung Association as a way of encouraging people to speak out against smoking. The American Lung Association is a volunteer-run health organization founded in 1904 with an aim to educate people about smoking and sharing research on the effects it has on lung health. 

Dark blue image of a stick figure jumping rope below dark blue text and American Heart Association logo on a yellow background. 

Jump Rope for Heart is a national education and fundraising event sponsored by the American Heart Association. Elementary and middle school kids can register for the event and learn jump rope skills, how their heart works and raise money to help children with heart conditions. 

In the center, an illustration of a winged green letter J with the words ST. JUDE written on it. Surrounding the image is green text. Green border on white background.

This button probably refers to Spirit Week, celebrated July 26-30, at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  Events and festivities were celebrated during this time to show employee pride and accomplishments.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. (n.d.) St. Jude Spirit Week. Retrieved from http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=c74842a09974a210VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD&vgnextchannel=d6823317e9975210VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD

A white background with red all uppercase letters in the center and blue uppercase letters around the outer edge of the button.

This button may have been from the United University Professions' (UUP) campaign, "save SUNY." This campaign was used to fight for more funding for public universities in New York. This campaign started in 1980 and called upon it's largest membership ever, 11,500 members. UUP was created in 1973 and is still fighting for both professional's rights and university funding. 

The State University of New York (SUNY), was founded at Potsdam, New York in 1816. Since 1948 SUNY has grown to include 64 individual colleges and universities. As of 2014, total SUNY enrollment is over 467,000.

White text on a red apple on a white background

The National Association for Music Education officially named March the “Music in Our Schools Month.” All schools should make music education their main focus for the entirety of March. Music in Our Schools Month first began as a one-day, statewide celebration in 1973. Over the years the program as shifted from one day, to one week, and finally, one month in 1985. Not only does the program raise awareness about the importance of music education throughout the nation, but also allows music teachers to draw attention to their individual programs within their own schools and communities. The program also aims to make everyone more aware of the benefits that music brings to students of all ages and backgrounds.