Prior to the introduction of cellphones, 64-year-old Katrina Parrott created skin tone emojis in 2013, according to BuzzFeed News.
She utilized nearly $200,000 of her funds to create her software, iDiversicons, as well as hire a crew.
After multiple patent rejections, the Texas native is still on a mission to gain recognition for her innovation.
“It’s really frustrating when you put your heart and soul and resources into an idea that has impacted so many lives, and then be rejected when you go to the place to formally get recognized for it,” Parrott told BuzzFeed News.
Following a nearly decade-long battle, Parrott has gained government support.
On February 13, the outlet reports that Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Democratic Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas sent a letter to the United States Patent and Trademark Office demanding answers as to why women of color and other underrepresented groups “are granted significantly fewer patents than Big Tech.”
“When giant tech companies like Apple are granted patent after patent by the USPTO, women and entrepreneurs of color face steep hurdles in getting credit for their ideas — and too often see their patents rejected,” Warren shared in a statement to the outlet. “The USPTO needs to do a full accounting of how and why entrepreneurs of color disproportionately have their patents rejected and level the playing field for small business owners taking on Big Tech.”