Snapchat is celebrating African American history and Black History Month in a special way.
The video sharing app is releasing special geofilters and launching a new program called “Young Black and Proud.” The program is being used to encourage African American Snapchat users to share their personal stories and experiences.
Also, Snapchat’s team will also produce content celebrating Black History Month on the app to go along with their new “Young Black and Proud” feature.
The new geofilters will be available in Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York Chicago, Boston, and Houston. Also, Snapchat will have unique features in historically black colleges such as Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.
But, this comes after Snapchat launched a filter that some called “instant black face.” Last April, Snapchat released a Bob Marley filter that makes people look like someone with dreadlocks, Rastafari attire, and blackface. Snapchat released the filter the week of 4/20 – the unofficial marijuana holiday. Snapchat would later explain that the new lens was a way to celebrate Bob Marley’s legacy.
Ultimately, Snapchat is gearing up for the reported Initial Public Offering. Snap is reportedly seeking a valuation of $25 billion, which would make the company one of the biggest IPOs in history.
Earlier this month, Snapchat released a new user interface and design. After testing the user interface, the new UI/UX will include a universal search bar making it easier for Snapchat users to send messages, watch new Stories and search for other users.
Black History Month with Social Media
Snapchat is not the only company celebrating Black History month. Twitter launched a chatbot that provides #blackhistory facts and Black community events in the form of direct messages. Twitter users could send a direct message to the account @blackbirds. As a result, Twitter users can learn different facts about African-American history, which is pretty huge since a large percentage of young African-Americans use the app.