Moving into the final week of February, the digital Black History Month celebration continues to engage viewers by showcasing achievements that seek to recognize the enduring legacy of the Black community. This week, Snapchat announced a new set of user lenses that attempt to do the same. This will allow Snapchat’s user base to interact with black history facts and highlights while sending Snaps to friends and followers.
A virtual lens overlaid over a user’s photo or video covers three main themes of the app’s Black History Month celebration. One Lens is about rarely told stories that share overlooked facts about black experience and history. The other explores history and the promise of tomorrow, recognizing how far the community has come by spotlighting key achievements and future aspirations. A third lens focuses on the theme of the diaspora, describing black history as it applies to diverse communities around the world and the lineages they share.
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Users will find simpler wide-angle lenses historical facts(opens in new tab) and black pioneer biographies(opens in new tab). Tuskegee Lens (opens in new tab)Share the story of the Tuskegee Airmen with our little animated Snapchat characters.(opens in new tab) It takes users into a futuristic room filled with inspiring quotes by black figures. Or you can use AR filters to scan your surroundings and look for black innovations.(opens in new tab)invites Snapchat to find everyday items that wouldn’t exist without Black’s excellence, such as curtain rods and lamp filaments.
Importantly, these interactive lenses were directed by an entire cohort of Black AR designers, including work from Snapchat lens creators. Shari McCann(opens in new tab), Kathryn Hicks(opens in new tab), hello ramirez(opens in new tab), this is green(opens in new tab), Jasmine Roberts(opens in new tab), Pam Taylor(opens in new tab)and Enoch(opens in new tab).
Earlier this month, Snapchat announced the Black History Month Spotlight Challenge.(opens in new tab)will award $40,000 to anyone who sends a Snap to the Spotlight Trending page. The company also announced a new partnership with the Beauty in Inclusivity Association (BIIA). It is a “brand audit and certification system” for companies that train in diversity and representation across the beauty industry. Snapchat, meanwhile, hosts BIIA-curated profiles highlighting the stories of creators of color.
Users can find new lenses within the app using the title “BHM23”, on the creator’s personal page, or by specific name.
tuned to Twitter space(opens in new tab) To learn more about the work of Enoch, Hicks, Green, McCann, and Roberts, join the lens designer on February 23 at 2:00 PM ET.
