Pinback Button, "Children’s March for Survival"

1972

This pinback button promoted participation in the Children’s March for Survival held on March 25, 1972 in Washington, DC. Sponsored by the National Welfare Rights Organization, thousands of protestors, half of them children, marched near the White House to protest the Nixon administration’s proposed welfare reform policies. On the round, white button, geometric shapes in orange and yellow represent five marchers. Each person holds a sign advocating for an issue embraced by a national coalition, including “Child Care,” “Food,” “Health,” “$6500 Now,” and a peace symbol. The latter two signs stand for a $6,500 guaranteed minimum income for a family of four, rather than the proposed $2,400, and for ending the war in Vietnam.