A group in Hackney, London, advocates for a more diverse range of emojis that better represent the variety of Black hairstyles.
Rise.365, a community support group based in London, is pushing to include hairstyles like afros, braids, and curls among the 3,790 available emojis. The organization launched the campaign in response to increasing concerns from members who had experienced hair discrimination.
“It’s sad and disappointing because it’s just showing how we [Black people] are not really seen in a bright light because you’ve got a blond or ginger girl, and you haven’t got just a simple girl with an afro, braids or anything like that,” Reanna Bryan, 18, told The Guardian.
Bryan reached out to Rise.365 after being told her braided hairstyle was unsuitable for the kitchen at her new culinary job. Recognizing that many others shared similar experiences, Rise.365 launched a campaign advocating for more diverse emojis representing Black hairstyles.
“Black people, and women in particular, tend to have so many different hairstyles, but none of these are represented,” said Amina Gray, a youth mentor and facilitator at Rise.365.
“We need to normalize that our hair –- whether it’s in its natural state or it’s in a protective hairstyle –- is acceptable … is professional.”
Young group members at Rise.365 were tasked with designing emojis that would help address the imbalance and showcase common hairstyles worn by Black people.
“I asked all of our young people to draw something that either reflects them or an emoji they would like to see on the keyboard,” Gray explained.
The group narrowed its designs down to four styles that best represented the diversity of hairstyles in the community: braids, afros, locs, and cornrows. Vanita Brown, a junior designer at Good Relations PR, helped bring the sketches to life.
“Most emojis tend to reflect the majority,” Brown said. “I feel that Black and mixed-race hairstyles weren’t prioritized in the initial designs because the creators didn’t necessarily consider or prioritize the diversity of Black hairstyles.”
Unicode Consortium accepts new emoji proposals, with only a small portion approved for encoding. Rise.365 plans to submit its designs in April 2025.
“The four we have designed are just the start. [The campaign] is a teaching opportunity,” Gray said. “I don’t want people to
think we just want emojis because we want to be represented that way. It’s because there’s a much deeper message behind it, about empowering people and helping people realize that their hair is beautiful.”RELATED CONTENT: ‘Be Your Own Marketing Engine,’ Says CurlMix Founder On The Keys To Business Success