“For Us, By Us”: Ella Mbanefo’s “Hairitage” is a Love Letter to Black Women’s Hair

On Thursday, October 30, a photography exhibition curated by Ella Mbanefo ’26 opened in the VCAM Upper Create Space. The exhibit, Hairitage: Our Labor of Love, features a collection of portraits and handmade books celebrating the diversity, intimacy, and ritual of Black women’s hair care.

In the exhibit’s promotional materials, Mbanefo invites attendees to “witness the beauty of Black femininity and the quiet exchanges between Black women—a certain feeling, gaze, or shared understanding that makes us family, even when we’re not related by blood.”

For Mbanefo, Hairitage began as both an academic and personal pursuit, initially developed for a 300-level photography course in which she was the only enrolled student. “I knew that I wanted to do some type of photographic study on Black hair, specifically for women,” she said. 

Her focus, she explained, stemmed from noticing a divide in how Black hair is discussed and represented. “There is this disconnect between masculine Black hair and feminine Black hair. There are obviously times where it comes together, but I was interested in the discourse surrounding feminine Black hair.”

To bring that focus to life, Mbanefo began reaching out to potential subjects across the Bi-Co and Philadelphia, as well as her home bases of New York and Boston. “I was posting on Instagram, I was texting people personally—any kind of way that I could,” she said.

She emphasized that her goal was to celebrate rather than critique, approaching the project in a manner that “felt more like a love letter rather than an ‘us versus them.’” Creating artwork rooted in Black studies, she added, can sometimes make it difficult to center positivity. “It’s hard when there’s oppression that circulates it. But I wanted to make it ‘for us, by us.’ That was the kind of sentiment I was trying to express in my work.”

The final project for the course culminated in a book, and Mbanefo was given the option to produce it digitally or to bind it by hand. “I felt like this was a great opportunity to make a microcosm of exactly what the project is,” she explained. “To hand-make a book and put that labor in—the same type of labor that’s put into hair care.”

Although the project was originally meant to culminate in a single book, Mbanefo expanded the concept into a series of six handmade books that pair her photographs with original poetry. “I wrote a long set of poems to go along with the work, just because, as a double major with English, I always like to keep my projects coherent and cohesive,” she said. “They’re little love letters to Black women, to Black hair. The final poem ends with, ‘Your curls do not need to be beautiful, but they are.’”

She said the thoughtful, individualized approach she took to her subjects reflects how portrait photographers build their craft, with the relationship between artist and subject at the heart of the process. “You get good at building relationships with people. It’s not like networking, because I genuinely care about the relationships I’m having with these people. My portraiture is a collaborative project between me and the person I’m taking photos of.”

She described the sessions as intimate and intentional. As part of the project, she was invited to join participants on wash day, a practice dedicated to washing, detangling, and styling textured hair that is often viewed as both a personal and cultural ritual. “I felt comfortable enough at a certain point to ask these people, ‘Hey, if you’re okay with it, can I come into your space? It won’t take super long; I just want to see your process,’” she said.

While much of her photography is shot in black and white, Mbanefo chose to experiment with color for this project, a deliberate departure from her usual approach. “I actually hate working in color,” she admitted. 

It wasn’t the technical challenge that deterred her, but rather her preference for the emotional clarity that monochromatic imagery can provide. “I love taking pictures of people, and I feel like black and white doesn’t take away from the message and the feelings that people are expressing,” she explained. Even so, she deliberately pushed her creative boundaries with this project.

Mbanefo’s curation extended beyond the artwork itself; her care and design shaped a vision for the space, which she hoped would feel warm and inviting. “I’m very interested in disrupting this kind of ‘white box’ space that the museum tends to be,” she explained. “I don’t like how performative museums feel sometimes. If you’re there to indulge in the art, you shouldn’t have to have certain mannerisms or act in a certain way.”

In keeping with Mbanefo’s philosophy, the space has been transformed into what she describes as “a grandma’s living room,” explaining that “we have a TV that’s playing the kind of music you would listen to while having your hair done.” The space is thoughtfully arranged with a couch, a rug, and a coffee table with Mbanefo’s books alongside a collection of hair care products. “I want people to feel like they can come hang out, do work, listen to music—whatever makes you feel that type of relaxation,” she stated.

Mbanefo emphasized that Hairitage is for Black women first. “This is a space for the people who the content is about. That’s not to say, obviously, that other people can’t hang out there, but I wanted to take up space. That was what was on my mind when doing this.”

Reflecting on her creative practice, Mbanefo emphasized that her artistry is inseparable from her academic and emotional life. “My process is very much intertwined with my experience as an academic,” she said. “I do a lot of research—it helps to radicalize me more and helps me to better understand the experiences of others. I’m very interested in natural, unposed imagery. I don’t necessarily believe in the idea of being photogenic. It’s all about comfort. People are not props to me—it’s a collaborative project between myself and them.”

Hairitage: Our Labor of Love will be on view in the VCAM Upper Create Space from October 30 to November 20, 2025. One of Mbanefo’s handmade books will remain in the Haverford College Libraries as part of the college’s archived collection of student work.