Pinback button protesting apartheid
date: label: Date
content: 1985
name: label: Manufactured by
content: N.G. Slater Corporation, American, founded 1936
label: Subject of
content: Columbia University, American, founded 1754
label: Subject of
content: African National Congress, South African, founded 1912
notes: label: Caption
content: In April of 1985, a group organized by the Coalition for a Free South Africa (CFSA) at Columbia University staged a protest to force Columbia to divest fully from corporations operating in South Africa as a response to the injustice of apartheid. Trustees of the university convened several months later and adopted the recommendations of the students, officially divesting the University's investments with South African connections.
label: Description
content: 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.
place: label: Place depicted
content: South Africa, Africa
label: Place depicted
content: Columbia University, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Africa
label: Topic
content: Communication
label: Topic
content: Decolonization
label: Topic
content: International affairs
label: Topic
content: Justice
label: Topic
content: Politics
label: Topic
content: Race discrimination
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1969-2001
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Memorabilia and Ephemera - Other
label: Movement
content: Pan Africanism
label: Movement
content: Anti-apartheid movements
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2011.178.2
objectType: label: Type
content: buttons (information artifacts)
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: metal, ink on paper, plastic laminate
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 1 1/2 x 1/4 in. (3.8 x 0.6 cm)