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President Joe Biden, flanked by Vice President Kamala D. Harris, delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the United States Capitol on February 7, 2023.
President Joe Biden, flanked by Vice President Kamala D. Harris, delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the United States Capitol on February 7, 2023.

Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images

  • President Joe Biden gave his second State of the Union address on Tuesday.
  • Lawmakers used pins displayed on their attire to highlight issues of importance to them.
  • Here's what a couple of the pins donned at the US Capitol mean.

On Tuesday, Biden delivered his second State of The Union address to a rowdy and divided crowd of members of Congress. Lawmakers showed up for the speech donning various pins on their lapels and blouses and dresses.

Two pins — one that reads '1870' in white text atop a round black pin and various colored crayon-shaped pins with the Crayola logo — have garnered attention. Here's what they mean.

1870 Pin

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., conducts a television interview before President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, February 7, 2023.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., conducts a television interview before President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, February 7, 2023.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

The 1870 pen was sported by lawmakers, mainly the Congressional Black Caucus and other Democrats, in a push for police reform, according to USA Today. The year refers to the first police killing of a free, unarmed Black man on record in Philadelphia, Bloomberg reported.

"I mourn each and every life that has been stolen from us, but I have grown tired of mourning. Mourning alone will bring us no closer to justice," Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman said in a video on Twitter, adding calls for police reform. Watson Coleman distributed 30 pins to lawmakers, per The Washington Post.

"153 years after the murder of Henry Truman, the Black community is still waiting for justice," Rep. Watson Coleman said. "Tragedies like the murder of Tyre Nichols last month have become a far-too-common occurrence in this country. From Bobby Hall to Breonna Taylor, this repetition of history has torn countless Black families apart."

Crayola Crayon Pin

A lawmaker wears a pin of a white Crayola crayon during the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 7, 2023.
A lawmaker wears a pin of a white Crayola crayon during the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 7, 2023.

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

"Members and advocates also wore 'Crayons for Kids' crayons pinned to their outfits to call attention the child care crisis — and spark conversation about why child care has to continue to be a priority this Congress," according to a statement from Sen. Patty Murray's website. 

Murray is a champion for affordable child care and spearheaded an effort to distribute the pins, according to CBS News. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Mazie Hirono, Suzanne Bonamici, and Jack Reed wore the pins.

Various other pins were spotted, too

Per The Hill, several other pins were paraded throughout the ceremony: Rep. Maxwell Frost wore a March For Our Lives pin calling out gun violence and a "warming stripes" pin, which Rep. Dan Goldman also flaunted, to shed light on the urgent need for climate action.

 

Sen. Ed Markey wore a pin in support of abortion rights.

 

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politics, News, State Of The Union, SOTU, Biden, Child Care, Police Violence
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1870 pin meaning: What the buttons and crayon lapel pins Congress wore to the S…