Rochester artist creates Google Doodle for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

A Google Doodle that commemorates Martin Luther King Day was created by Rochester native Cannaday Chapman.

The image depicts a young girl perched on her father’s shoulders, part of  the crowd listening to Dr. King’s 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech.

In an interview posted at the Google website, the illustrator said the message of Martin Luther King Jr. was especially relevant today.

"Dr. King is most remembered for fighting for the rights of African Americans, but he fought for the rights of all Americans. He believed in fairness and equity for everyone," Chapman said. "As a black man, I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing today if it wasn't for him and the brave people of the civil rights movement."

Chapman graduated from Fairport High School in 2003. He received a BFA in illustration from School of Visual Arts in New York and has received awards from the Society of Illustrators. He is an illustrator in the Illustration Studio at American Greetings' headquarters in Cleveland and has also worked for clients such as Target, American Express and INC magazine.

His illustrations have also appeared on the cover of the New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine and other publications.

More: Fairport grad's art featured on greeting cards

More: Cannaday Chapman and his greeting card art

Google Doodles appear on the company's homepage to mark special occasions, replacing the company logo with an illustration that links to articles on the subject.

Chapman's doodle was created in collaboration with the Black Googlers Network, an internal employee group focused on empowering Google’s black community.

Chapman says he hopes that his doodle will inspire people to reflect on this moment in history.

"I would like people to remember that current events and our actions today will shape the future generations of tomorrow," he said. "What kind of example do we want to set for our children and our children's children?"

Chapman shared several early drafts of ideas for the Doodle which featured King's image prominently, including an illustration of a group of children drawing his portrait with sidewalk chalk.

In the end, he chose an image that showed a diverse crowd listening to King's message.

"I was inspired by people. It may appear that this movement or any civil rights movement was brought about by one person, but it's the people that have the power to bring change," he said. "I wanted to make an image about those people."

SLAHMAN@Gannett.com