Google marks the 100th anniversary of the Silent Parade with new Doodle

July 28 (UPI) -- Google is paying homage to the Silent Parade on its 100th anniversary with a new Doodle.

Google's homepage displays a painting of the historic event that features a large group of African American men and woman marching through the streets of New York City in silent protest.

"There was no singing, no chanting - just silence," the company wrote of the march. "On July 28, 1917, the only sound on New York City's Fifth Avenue was the muffled beat of drums as nearly 10,000 African American children, women, and men marched in silence in what came to be known as the Silent Parade."

"It was one of the first mass protests of lynching and anti-black violence in the United States. The parade was precipitated by the East St. Louis Riots of 1917, during which between 40 and 250 Black people were killed and thousands more displaced by white mobs," Google continued.

The protest was organized by the NAACP and its leaders, including James Weldon Johnson and W.E.B Du Bois. The parade asked that then President Woodrow Wilson take legislative action to protect African Americans.

"Today's Doodle commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Silent Parade, and honors those whose silence resonates a century later," Google concluded.