London non-profit BLAM has developed an augmented reality (AR) app called History Bites, which gives users the chance to see black history memorialised through virtual plaques and sculptures.
Developed as part of Black History Month, the mobile application is aimed at kids and profiles five different figures, including Mae Jemison, the first black woman to travel to space.
Completing a quiz about each of them allows users to place a corresponding monument in the world around them using AR, so they can see their heritage and history represented wherever they want ? whether in prominent public spaces or their own neighbourhood.
The BLAM History Bites app features an AR statue of a raised fist dedicated to the Bristol Bus Boycott
"At BLAM we are constantly seeking new ways to counterbalance the effects of Eurocentricity and racism on Black lives and the creation of this app can help Black children reaffirm positive ideas and notions about their black identity," BLAM founder Ife Thompson told Dezeen. "Through racism and the media, Black children are disproportionately exposed to negative narratives and concepts about their blackness. This often leads to them internalising negative stereotypes about themselves and others that look like them."

"We believe it is possible to raise the racial-esteem and racial identity of Black children by showing them positive narratives about themselves, in order to stop them from internalising negative stereotypes about ...