Safety pins: a pointed show of solidarity

People have long used ribbons, flowers, colors or badges to symbolize political causes, from the carnations of Portugal's 1974 revolution to the orange ribbons of Ukraine's 2004 revolution to the gel wristbands now worn to promote almost any charity.

Enter the lowly safety pin.

That humble but practical device is fast gaining a higher profile, as growing numbers of Americans wear the metal fasteners to show solidarity against intolerance after the election of Donald Trump.

The safety pin -- invented in 1849 by an American mechanic who needed money to pay off a $15 debt -- uses a cleverly designed clasp to protect users from its fiendishly sharp tip.

And that is the point. In the days since Trump's election, people have begun placing a single pin on their shirts to convey a message of support -- of safety, and protection -- to minorities, women, immigrants and others who may feel threatened by the strident rhetoric that carried him to the White House.

Trump, during a bitter two-year campaign that tugged at America's democratic fabric, pledged to deport illegal immigrants and ban Muslims, and called Mexicans rapists and drug runners, claims which have created fears of xenophobia.

Since Trump's upset win there has been a reported uptick in reports of racist and xenophobic incidents, fueling fears for the period ahead.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups, tracked more than 200 incidents of election-related harassment and intimidation in the three days following the election.