Redefining the Table

"I don't want to bring a chair to an old table. This is the time to shake the table. This is the time to redefine that table." -Ayanna Pressley, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts, 7th District

A selection from the Political Buttons collection at HKS Library & Research Services. Curation: Corinne Wolfson. Design: Alessandra Seiter.

Over the past decade, a record number of individuals from underrepresented groups have launched political campaigns in the United States. This exhibit highlights a selection of political buttons from 32 of these candidates – women, people of color, Native people, and members of the LGBTQ community – who have sought political office since 2012. These candidates threw their hats in the ring for governorships, Congressional seats, and U.S. president. The majority of the buttons in this exhibit represent campaigns run in 2018, when HKS Library & Research Services began seeking button donations from political campaigns across the country.

The map above represents the geographic distribution of the candidates included in this exhibit. Each colored dot on the map corresponds to a U.S. state. Click on one of these dots to get information about which candidate(s) ran for office there, their political party, the year of their campaign, the position they sought, the result of the election, and the numbered position in which they appear in the display below (1-33).

Below you'll find full-size photos of the political button(s) corresponding to each candidate (alphabetically by last name), as well as campaign and biographical information.

The physical version of this exhibit is currently on display in the Academic Dean's Office at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Contact corinne_wolfson@hks.harvard.edu for further information.

This exhibit is a project of the HKS Library with support from the Dean’s Office, Academic Deans’ Office, and the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.