Johnson, a 10th grader from Washington, D.C., won this year’s “Doodle 4 Google” competition for grade schoolers.
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“One of my teachers from Roots, Baba Camera, is really what made me look at art in a different way”, Akilah said. “I’m excited to keep creating art that matters”.
Of 100,000 participants coming from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and Washington D.C., five national finalists were chosen to spend the day at Google Headquarters in Mountain View, California for the award ceremony. She designed the winning Doodle with themes from her childhood, but also with “culturally relevant” themes from today – including the Black Lives Matter movement.
Johnson’s “My Afrocentric Life“, topped four other national finalists, who used books, buttons, souvenirs and silhouettes to decorate the Google name. They had a day of workshops with the doodle team and guest judges such as astronaut Yvonne Cagle and animator Glenn Keane.
“These schools promote a strong connection to African heritage, and an Afrocentric lifestyle; we regularly celebrated important African-American people, and I learned a lot about my history as an African-American”, Johnson wrote in her contest entry.
“Amazing”, Johnson, 15, said in an interview shortly after winning the competition, her eyes glued to her phone as comments flooded social media.
Participating in the contest gave Johnson an understanding of why her art matters, she writes, “because it speaks to people”, and “no matter our differences, everyone is touched by art in some way”.
She’s visiting Google with mom Tikecia Johnson and teacher Zalika Perkins and is already dreaming about her future.
“The reaction she is getting from this is so positive”.
Johnson, who’s been painting since she was 7, said she worked on her project over her Thanksgiving break. “She has a gift for this”.
Johnson has been drawing since elementary school.
As a younger child, she attended an African-centered school in Northwest Washington called Roots Public Charter School. Those figures appear in her doodle.
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“My goal with my art was to not only turn heads but souls as well – not only for someone to see it and be amazed by it but also to have them understand and connect with it”.
