Rise.365 Campaign Seeks to Add Black Hairstyle Emojis to Emojiverse

In a world where emojis have become a universal language, representing a wide range of emotions and identities, there is one group that has been left out – Black people and their diverse hairstyles. But a London-based youth organization, Rise.365, is on a mission to change that.

With nearly 4,000 emojis in the emojiverse, none of them accurately depict the hairstyles commonly worn by Black people, such as braids, afros, and cornrows. Rise.365 decided to take matters into their own hands by asking young members to design emojis that reflect these hairstyles. After narrowing down the submissions to four styles – braids, afro, locs, and cornrows – the group plans to submit their designs to the Unicode Consortium in April.

Amina Gray, a youth mentor at Rise.365, emphasized the importance of representation, stating, “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.” Gray hopes that the Consortium will consider their designs and that this initiative will spark a movement for more inclusivity in the emoji verse.

The campaign is not just about emojis, but about empowering people and celebrating the beauty of Black hair. Gray believes that the four designs are just the beginning, and that this effort is a teaching opportunity to promote acceptance and diversity.

As the world eagerly awaits the decision of the Unicode Consortium, one thing is clear – representation matters, even in the world of emojis. And Rise.365 is leading the charge for change.