Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, is the oldest commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. It marks the day when troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to establish Union authority and ensure that all enslaved people were freed — more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. The following year, freed persons in Texas organized the first of what became the annual celebration of “Jubilee Day,” now known as Juneteenth. 

Today, it’s a time for reflection and celebration of Black history and culture. We’re commemorating this day by elevating the voices of Black artists and creators across our products and in our workplace, as well as empowering Black small business owners to thrive.

Celebrating Black artists and creators

Our Juneteenth Doodle, created by Detroit-based guest artist Rachelle Baker, honors the celebration of Juneteenth with images of parades, music, food and community from past and present. It also pays homage to Black artistic contributions by alluding to decorative ironwork, a style which can be found throughout Southern architecture, and which was often forged by enslaved peoples and unrecognized freedmen. 

On Google Play, we’re showcasing apps by Black developers and an interview with Julio Rivera, the founder of Liberate — a meditation app designed to support the Black community. You’ll also find kids books on Black history and culture, plus an interview with Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar on their new book, “You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories about Racism” and more.

Showcasing Black historical figures, moments and places

On Google Maps, April Hamm, a New Orleans based Local Guide, educator and musician, has curated a list of local historical landmarks and local Black-owned businesses in New Orleans. By visiting historic places in New Orleans — such as Congo Squareand theFree People of Color Museum — and adding information about them to the map, April makes history more accessible and advocates for collective memory. 

You can also learn more about Black historical figures and moments, like Juneteenth, every day with the Google Assistant by simply saying “Hey Google, what happened today in Black history?” from your Assistant-enabled smart speaker, smart display or phone. We worked with renowned civil rights activist, author and lecturer Dr. Carl Mack to raise awareness of many important cultural events and leaders.Together, we hope to celebrate freedom and promote prosperity in Black communities and beyond. 

Today The Kinsey African American Art & History Collection is sharing the history of the holiday and portraits of newly-freed men and women on the Google Arts & Culture platform. The Greenwood Art Project is also debuting an artistic exploration of Juneteenth on the platform to highlight the spirit of freedom and what that means today in the wake of the Tulsa Race Massacre.

Supporting Black small businesses 

Creating space for our employees to reflect, learn and celebrate 

We know it’s important to give our employees space and time to reflect, learn and celebrate Juneteenth. So for the second year in a row, we instituted a no-meetings day for Googlers on Friday, June 18 and hosted a two-hour event, in partnership with our Black Googler Network, spotlighting music, history and storytelling. The event included a virtual sit-down with Ms. Erykah Badu, who spoke about her music, racial justice and her experiences as a Black woman growing up in Texas, where Juneteenth began, followed by a musical performance. 

According to the Chinese zodiac, this upcoming year will mark the Year of the Ox, an animal that represents strength, hard work and resilience in Chinese culture. And search interest for “year of the ox meaning” has increased by +2,900% ahead of Lunar New Year celebrations. 

Today, we celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Ox with our annual Lunar New Year Google Doodles across a number of countries. The Doodles aim to honor local traditions and look forward to prosperity in the year ahead. The artwork below depicts the ox of the zodiac next to a spirited lion dance, which is often symbolic of power and wisdom when performed during cultural and religious festivals. And if you are looking for more festive ways to celebrate, search for “Lunar New Year” on Google. You may discover a special surprise.

Lunar New Year marks the first day of the lunar calendar, which starts on the first new moon of the year. Lunar New Year is celebrated in many different forms in places  all over the world, including China, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea. 

Despite regional differences, there are many Lunar New Year traditions that are similar throughout many Eastern and Southeast Asian communities. Across borders, Lunar New Year is a holiday rooted in themes of togetherness and reunion. Every year across Eastern Asia and parts of Southeast Asia, the arrival of Lunar New Year triggers what Chinese culture calls “Chunyun,” a mass migration of people heading home to celebrate with their families. Traditionally, people clean their homes to sweep away ill fortune and to welcome good luck as families gather to enjoy a shared feast. To start off the new year, there are often fireworks and lion dancing parades, and children receive money in red envelopes as they pay homage to elders and deities. 

Every Lunar New Year, different communities have traditions that bring families together, such as eating longevity noodles in China or rice cakes in Vietnam. Ahead of the holiday, search interest for "年 夜飯 菜色" (new year’s eve dinner dishes) spiked +1,550% in Hong Kong. Traditions around food create a sense of commonality, a togetherness, among people from a similar cultural lineage. That’s why this year, we talked to Wilson Tang of Nom Wah Tea Parlor in New York about some of his family’s traditions and some of the difficulties he’s faced with running a restaurant in the last year. He emphasized the importance of keeping these traditions around for generations to come.

In a time when small businesses are still struggling to return to pre-pandemic levels of operation, we encourage you to join in celebrating and supporting local businesses near you this Lunar New Year. 

“From noodles, which signify long life, to dumplings that symbolize gold nuggets, there's a lot of old traditions that are often lost because we live in a new country,” Wilson Tang says. “Now it's extra important to me, because I have children of my own, to make sure we keep these traditions alive for the future.”