Google is rolling out Black History Month programming across Search, Play, TV, YouTube, Chrome, Meet, Maps, and Arts & Culture in the US throughout February. The campaign is anchored by a hip-hop–themed Google Doodle featuring a custom beat by Detroit rapper, singer, and producer Illa J. A Google Doodle sets the tone for Black History Month Google launched the campaign with a Doodle music video focused on the mechanics of hip-hop beat-making, using one of its most visible entry points to set the tone and route users into related experiences.
Kickstarting the festive season, the latest interactive Google Doodle celebrates the life and accomplishments of self-taught engineer Gerald ‘Jerry’ Lawson, also known as ‘one of the fathers of modern gaming.’ Lawson, who passed away at 70, was one of the first prominent African American figures in the game industry. As chief hardware engineer for Fairchild Semiconductor, Lawson steered the development of the first home video gaming system with interchangeable game cartridges. Encouraged to experiment Lawson was born in Brooklyn in 1940. Encouraged by his parents to experiment, Lawson grew up
