Hackney Museum’s latest display celebrates the local youth-led campaign for afro hair representation
Stories Woven In Strands, a free display at Hackney Museum explores texturism and the Hackney youth group campaign for better hair representation through emojis.
A new display at Hackney Museum looks at texturism, a form of hair discrimination that places higher value on looser or straighter hair textures, while devaluing tighter curls, coils, and afro-textured hair.
Stories Woven In Strands: Texturism and the campaign for hair representation explores the bold and powerful work of Hackney-based youth organisation RISE365, who, in collaboration with personal care brand Dove, launched the Emoji Campaign in 2024 calling for better representation of afro and textured hair in digital spaces.
The campaign quickly went viral and gained global momentum, sparking conversations around the world about representation, identity, and equality. RISE365 submitted detailed applications to Unicode, the governing body for emojis, to ensure that afro and textured hair is fairly represented on digital platforms used by billions of people every day. The display at Hackney Museum shares their campaigning journey.
“Tackling discrimination in all its forms is vital — including the discrimination people experience because of their natural hair. Hair is deeply connected to identity, culture, and confidence. Texturism can negatively affect people in schools, workplaces, and social settings. It can lead to feelings of exclusion, low self-esteem, and pressure to alter or hide their natural hair in order to fit in. By educating people about texturism and demanding change, young people can reshape the conversation around hair, identity, and representation.”
RISE365
“For too long, afro and textured hair has been underrepresented or misrepresented in mainstream culture and digital communication. Young people are challenging this and leading the call for change. It was a privilege to be at the launch event and hear from the young leaders and ambassadors who have led this campaign. This display proudly shares the amazing journey of a Hackney youth group, their experiences, and their vision for a future where representation truly matters. It stands as a powerful reminder that young people are not just shaping tomorrow — they are making change today.”
Cllr Chris Kennedy, Hackney Council Cabinet Lead for Culture
Stories Woven In Strands: Texturism and the campaign for hair representation is a free community display that runs until 29 November 2025 at Hackney Museum.
Notes to editors
This display is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, as part of a wider project called ‘Reimagining Hackney Museum: Connecting Communities with Collections’. Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage.
Some parts of the display were made possible with the support of Dove. Visit Dove to learn more about how Dove is working with key voices to challenge injustice and celebrate Black hair.