Making the Movement

A history of the Civil Rights Movement from Emancipation through the 1980s, told through 200 objects (buttons, badges, posters, leaflets, and more) created by activists as tools to advance the fight for justice and freedom.


From Reconstruction through Jim Crow, through the protest era of the 1960s and ’70s to current-day resistance and activism, the material culture of the Civil Rights Movement has been integral to its goals and tactics. During decades of sit-ins, marches, legal campaigns, boycotts, and demonstrations, objects such as buttons, flyers, and posters have been key in the fight against racism, oppression, and violence.


Making the Movement presents more than 200 of these nonviolent weapons alongside the story of the activists, organizations, and campaigns that defined and propelled the cause of civil rights. It is a must-read for anyone seeking to learn about Black history in the United States, and about strategies to combat racism and the structures that support it.