February is Black History Month, and Google is kicking it off by honoring Carter G. Woodson, frequently touted as the “Father of Black History,” with a Google Doodle.
Carter Godwin Woodson was born in 1875 to former slaves and, as the second African-American to earn a doctorate from Harvard, become one of the first scholars of African-American history. Woodson died in 1950.
Illustrator Shannon Wright designed the Google Doodle in conjunction with the Black Googlers network.
“Woodson was committed to bringing African-American history front and center and ensuring it was taught in schools and studied by other scholars,” Sherice Torres, Director of Brand Marketing at Google and member of the network, explained in a post about the Google Doodle. Torres explained that Woodson served as her inspiration when she said she wanted to attend Harvard and was discouraged by people around her.

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Write to Alana Abramson at Alana.Abramson@time.com