Google’s Year in Search 2025 data confirms a long-standing reality in the digital economy. Black American culture serves as the primary engine for what the U.S. clicks, buys, and watches. This annual roundup highlights the questions that shaped the cultural zeitgeist, and 2025’s results are characterized by Black-led moments across every major category. Culture The rise of the Philadelphia-rooted “67” phrase—popularized by rapper Skrilla’s track “Doot Doot (6 7)”—highlights how regional Black slang quickly becomes the default language of the internet. Dictionary.com even named “67” its Word of the Year
Los Angeles-based moms Dr. Anndretta Lyle and Stacy Kirk, both leaders in education and technology, have joined forces to create Thrive Culture Box, an innovative subscription service for families with children aged four and up. Designed to celebrate and explore Black culture, the service provides monthly activity kits that combine hands-on learning with interactive digital lessons. Each box features engaging tools and materials, along with instructional videos that guide families in discovering Black history, achievements, and creativity. The Thrive Culture Box The debut series of Thrive Culture Box spotlights Black
Atlanta-based agency Chroma Creators is using artificial intelligence to deliver branding and marketing that is crafted by AI but inspired by Black culture. Chroma Creators Chroma Creators founder, CEO, and chief creative officer Octavia Warren is known for her success with multicultural branding and marketing agency Creative Juice. With over a decade of debunking stereotypes, Warren is now using the power of artificial intelligence to reshape how brands connect with Black audiences. “I remember a time when you could not find a stock photo of a black hand holding an iPhone,” said Warren in
A recent development in the tech industry is the quiz game “Are You Blacker than ChatGPT?” created by creative ad agency McKinney. Are You Blacker Than ChatGPT? This interactive game challenges players to test their knowledge of Black culture against ChatGPT, OpenAI’s language model. The game’s inception traces back to a creative brainstorm at McKinney, led by copywriter Meghan Woods and a Black-led team. It took a year to develop, with the underlying goal of pointing out ChatGPT’s limitations in grasping the nuances of Black culture. The deficiency stems from
Essence Festival of Culture is suing Spotify for using its branding without permission, according to The Guardian. The festival’s lawyers say they are taking a stand against the “intentional exploitation of Black culture.”. Essence Festival of Culture Essence Festival of Culture is held over the Fourth of July weekend in New Orleans with music performances, inspirational speakers, and proactive conversations about gender, race, culture, and art. It was started in 1994 as a one-time event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Essence – a magazine aimed at African American women. Since
