Google on Friday, June 19, replaced its homepage logo with a Doodle honoring Juneteenth, the federal holiday marking the end of slavery in the United States. The illustration, created by artist Monique Wray, centers on a group of figures dancing in a circle, surrounded by bluebonnets — the Texas state flower — while a mockingbird, the Texas state bird, rests on the letter “G” of the Google logo.
According to a statement from Google distributed by United Press International, Wray’s artwork blends “unique elements of African American heritage and Texas culture, from the community found in line dancing to the beloved mockingbirds.” The company described the Doodle as celebrating “progress, liberation, and the enduring spirit of freedom.”
Juneteenth traces its origins to June 19, 1865, when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston with Union troops and issued General Order No. 3, informing the last enslaved people in Confederate territory of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation — nearly two and a half years after Lincoln signed it. The date has been observed by African American communities since the late 19th century and became the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act in 2021.
The Doodle is the latest in Google’s long-running series of commemorative home page illustrations for cultural and historical observances. Wray, an Atlanta-based artist and designer, has created previous work focused on themes of heritage and community.