Pinback button protesting apartheid: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A striped pinback button protesting Columbia University's involvement in South African companies. The background colors, black, green, and yellow, are those of the African National Congress flag. Red text on the button reads: [APARTHEID / KILLS! / DIVEST NOW! / Columbia / OUT OF / S. AFRICA]. The manufacturer's mark appears on both the top and bottom of the button. There is a small stain on the bottom rim of the button with scratches and some etching on the metal back plate. The back of the button has a metal fastener and clasp.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1985
• Manufactured by: N.G. Slater Corporation, American, founded 1936
• Subject of: Columbia University, American, founded 1754
• Subject of: African National Congress, South African, founded 1912
• Type: buttons (information artifacts)
• Medium: metal, ink on paper, plastic laminate
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 1 1/2 x 1/4 in. (3.8 x 0.6 cm)
• Place depicted: South Africa, Africa
• Place depicted: Columbia University, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Africa
• Topic: Communication
• Topic: Decolonization
• Topic: International affairs
• Topic: Justice
• Topic: Politics
• Topic: Race discrimination
• Object number: 2011.178.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.