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It was 2015 when Apple rolled out a new batch of emojis representing people of different skin tones. What they weren t prepared for was the backlash over a set of emojis with a yellow skin tone, mainly from Asian communities who deemed the new additions racist. The outrage eventually faded, and more social media platforms began introducing their own set of diversified human emojis.
Katrina Parrott, a Houston resident, told
The Washington Post she was the mind behind diverse skin tones for emojis, something she originally did for her daughter to express herself. In six months, Parrott put her savings into launching an iPhone app called iDiversicons in 2013. Users can finally use the app the represent their race with five different skin tones available.
Katrina Parrott Is Taking On Apple Over Racially-Inclusive Emojis binnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from binnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
She brought diverse skin tones emoji to the iPhone. Now she s suing Apple
Reed Albergotti, The Washington Post
March 10, 2021
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Katrina Parrott, founder of iDiversicons, is shown with her app s emoji on Feb. 23, 2021 in Houston.Photo for The Washington Post by May-Ying Lam
For Katrina Parrott, being invited to present her idea to Apple at its campus in Cupertino, Calif., felt like a dream. Less than a year earlier, she had been laid off from her job with NASA in Texas. Now, she was discussing partnering with the iPhone maker on an idea she had pioneered: emoji with different skin-tone options.
Apple’s new $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative aims to help the Black community. But it was too late for Katrina Parrott, a Black woman who helped Apple invent diverse skin tone emojis, before the iPhone maker came out with its own designs.