As a part of Black History Month, Google Doodle on Wednesday is celebrating Haitian American mannequin Mama Cax and her contribution to inclusivity within the trend business.
Cax was an influential mannequin and most cancers survivor who advocated for the rights of individuals with disabilities. An amputee as a youngster, Cax wasn’t shy about displaying her prosthetic leg on the runway and picture shoots, typically adorning it with colourful designs.
The Google Doodle spotlights many key components in her life. It additionally highlights Black History Month, a time devoted to recognizing and celebrating the achievements, tradition and voices of Black Americans, in addition to their contribution to shaping American society and historical past.
Born Cacsmy Brutus on Nov. 20, 1989, in Brooklyn, New York, Cax spent a lot of her childhood in Haiti. At the age of 14, she was identified with bone and lung most cancers and was given three weeks to stay. When a hip substitute failed, it was determined that her proper leg and a part of her hip needs to be amputated.
After battling the preliminary shock of dropping a part of her physique, she turned an outspoken advocate for the physique positivity motion, inspiring tons of of 1000’s of followers on the web along with her writings on journey, meals, way of life and sweetness.
Cax went on to mannequin in campaigns with trend manufacturers comparable to Sephora, Tommy Hilfiger and Olay, all the time advocating for extra disabled fashions and ladies of colour.
Cax died in 2019 on the age of 30 after struggling extreme belly pains and blood clots in her lung.
The first celebration of what would turn into Black History Month was steered in 1926 by American historian Carter G. Woodson, who created “Negro History Week” to encourage the educating of Black historical past in faculties. The celebration ultimately expanded to a month and unfold throughout the US earlier than President Gerald Ford formally acknowledged Black History Month in 1976.
