Mary Ann Shadd Cary’s 197th Birthday

Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Alberta, Canada-based guest artist Michelle Theodore, celebrates the 197th birthday of American-Canadian newspaper editor and publisher, journalist, teacher, lawyer, abolitionist, and suffragist Mary Ann Shadd Cary. Credited as the first Black female newspaper editor and publisher in North America and the second Black woman to earn a law degree in the United States, Shadd Cary is renowned as a courageous pioneer in the fight for abolition and women’s suffrage. 

Mary Ann Shadd was born on this day in 1823 in Wilmington, Delaware. Her parents were dedicated abolitionists and used their home as a station on the Underground Railroad to provide a safe haven to escaped slaves. Following her graduation from a Pennsylvania boarding school, she became a teacher. Frederick Douglass published her first work in his newspaper in 1848, which was a bold call to action for the abolitionist movement.

In the wake of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850—a major threat to Black people in the U.S.— the Shadd family moved north to Canada. It was there in 1853 that Shadd launched her historic newspaper, The Provincial Freemen, a weekly Black publication geared especially toward escaped slaves. Following her marriage, Shadd Cary moved back to the U.S. and, in 1883 earned her trailblazing law degree from Howard University.

For her invaluable contributions to Canadian history, Shadd Cary was honored by the country in 1994 as a Person of National Historic Significance. 

Happy Birthday, Mary Ann Shadd Cary!

Guest Artist Q&A with Michelle Theodore

Today’s Doodle was illustrated by Alberta, Canada-based guest artist Michelle Theodore. Below, she shares her thoughts behind the making of this Doodle:

Q: Why was this topic meaningful to you personally? 

A: This opportunity educated me on such a prolific individual that I wasn't aware of in Canadian history. Being able to illustrate a Black woman as driven as Mary Ann was incredibly inspiring.

Q: What were your first thoughts when you were approached about the project?

A: At first, I was a little overwhelmed at the thought of creating a Google Doodle, but after the initial shock it was an incredibly exciting moment for me.

Q: Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle?

A: I did a lot of research on newspapers! How they were made, distributed, and the process of printmaking in the late 1800s. Through my research, I stumbled upon the recurring visual of stacked newspapers and decided that was something I really wanted to include in the Doodle.

Q: What do you hope people take away from your Doodle?

A: I hope people will look at this illustration of a remarkable Black woman from the 1800s and feel inspired by what she was able to accomplish against all odds as an editor, educator, and activist.