Google’s latest Doodle pays tribute to the late Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla-Perez, whose debut album was released Oct. 17, 1989.
The project was pitched by Perla Campos, a Granbury native and the global marketing lead for Google Doodle. She says it was important for her to see Latino culture represented on the front page.
“I’ve never seen myself on the Google homepage, and I think that’s so important for so many people,” Campos said.
She grew up listening to Selena’s music with her family; her favorite song is a tie between "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" and "Si Una Vez." At 5, Campos recalled dancing in front of the TV, imitating the singer’s style of dancing. Those memories came flooding back when Campos worked with the Quintanilla family to refine the Doodle.
“It was just this out-of-body experience where to be there with her family, listening to their stories was just so powerful,” she said, “but on the outside, I was like 'Gotta keep it professional.'"
In her professional life, Campos said she’s used to being the only Latina in the room. According to Google’s latest diversity report, about 31 percent of its workforce is female and just four percent are Latino, but Campos is confident that will change.
“With time, we’ll persevere because 'Sí, se puede.'”
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