This is a round collegiate button that is white with blue printing stating, "Bates Must Play! N.Y.U. - Mo Game." This is a button from the 1940 student lead protest of the N.Y.U. football program and N.Y.U. administration for holding star fullback, Leonard Bates, out of the coming contest against the University of Missouri. The student leaders of the protest (known as the Bates Seven) were suspended from N.Y.U. for three months due to the protests.
While it is well documented that southern football teams and institutions of higher education barred African Americans from participation, it is often forgot that northern schools played a role in this as well. Bates was being held out of the game due to a "Gentlemen's agreement" that black players would not play against teams that had rules against black athletes. Despite the signatures of 4,000 students and the presence of 2,000 students in a picket line, N.Y.U. leadership would not allow Bates to participate in the contest. N.Y.U. would lose to Missouri 33-0. The suspension would cause the students to take extra courses in order to graduate on time, although two of them would never get their degree (one due to the fact he returned home to England to fight in World War II). Many of the northern schools that participated in the so-called “Gentlemen’s Agreement” would stop bending to southern whims as pressure from politicians and students mounted after World War II.
N.Y.U. football began play in 1873 but the program ended permanently in 1952. However, N.Y.U. has left a permanent mark on college football as the Heisman Trophy is modeled after N.Y.U. running back Ed Smith. The Downtown Athletic Club honored Smith with his own honorary Heisman Trophy in 1985.
New York Militia "EXCELSIOR" button depicting a spreadwing eagle perched on terrestrial globe. Circular, single-piece button with omega loop shank, possibly on a thin pedestal or plateau, brazed on blank back. No marks. One of four "EXCELSIOR" buttons, 1982.0090.09A, C, N and O, from a collection of 15 buttons, 1982.0090.09A-O.
This button is from the Queen Mary Jazz Festival in Long Beach, California, in 1978. It is made of white paper with blue ink covered with a clear film, on a two-piece metal button with a pin back. The button is printed:
UNITED JAZZ CLUBS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 1978 3rd ANNUAL QUEEN MARY JAZZ FESTIVAL SUNDAY, OCT. 29th
Floyd Levin (1922-2007) was a Los Angeles textile manufacturer who turned his passion for jazz into a second career as an influential jazz journalist and historian. His numerous reviews, profiles, and articles were published in magazines such as Down Beat, Jazz Journal International, Metronome, and American Rag. He also authored Classic Jazz: A Personal View of the Music and the Musicians. Items in this collection (2011.3086) were acquired from Levin’s attendance at Jazz Festivals, conferences, and other music events.
Louisiana Special Olympics button. From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Pinback button with a white background featuring a color image of a chicken and black printing.
This series of four buttons (2019.0150.18 - 2019.0150.21) proclaim the main messages of the animal rights movement: to end the use of animals as food, clothing, research subjects, and other commodities.
Jerry Meral purchased these buttons in 2017, then donated them to NMAH.
This button is made of white paper with black printing covered with a clear film, on a round two-piece metal button with a pin back. The button is printed:
Sax Appeal 1991 [image of peace symbol and soprano saxophone] Peace & Love Through Jazz
Floyd Levin (1922-2007) was a Los Angeles textile manufacturer who turned his passion for jazz into a second career as an influential jazz journalist and historian. His numerous reviews, profiles, and articles were published in magazines such as Down Beat, Jazz Journal International, Metronome, and American Rag. He also authored Classic Jazz: A Personal View of the Music and the Musicians. Items in this collection (2011.3086) were acquired from Levin’s attendance at Jazz Festivals, conferences, and other music events.