When Kumi Rauf began coining the saying "I love being black" in 2003, he never imagined 1 million people would become fans of it.
But that's exactly what happened.
Now, many years later, I Love Being Black has not only become a full-time business for Rauf but also a Facebook force to be reckoned with.
On June 27 at 4:30 p.m., it was official: I Love Being Black had 1 million fans on Facebook.
"I was blown away," Rauf said. "I knew at some point that day we were going to hit the milestone, and when we did, I still kind of didn't grasp it."
I Love Being Black is now more than a mere slogan. It's an apparel company that sells a variety of garments from T-shirts to leggings, all with the slogan "I Love being Black" printed on them.
Started up in 2005, I Love Being Black was originally a way for Rauf to inspire self-love in other black people, especially those he went to college with at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
"Really the initial idea came from some racial tension at UCSB," Rauf said. "I started to notice the self-hatred that many blacks had ... and it made me want to put out a positive message ... not to put any other community down but to uplift ours."
Rauf printed the slogan on a few T-shirts, wore them, and quickly realized there was a market for his idea.
"In 2004, I went to the African Marketplace and I couldn't go 10 feet without someone asking or commenting on my shirt," Rauf said.
Jimmy Jam, the screen printer Rauf's been using since 2005, remembers when I Love Being Black was in its infancy.
"I was part of the movement with the (Black) Panthers and black organizations in the '60s, and with all of the consciousness we had, we never thought of making a shirt that said, 'I Love Being Black,' " Jam said.
"(Rauf) has been a trend setter without really being racial or stepping on people's toes. He's been an inspiration for a lot of people," Jam said.
Rauf's cultural pride can be traced back to his parents, who he says made sure to instill in him a sense of black pride and knowledge of black history that was not readily available in their hometown of Santa Cruz in Northern California.
"It's not the blackest place on the planet," Rauf said. "But my parents made sure to connect with other blacks in the community."
It wasn't exclusive, and they didn't say don't make friends with whites, Rauf said. But they really wanted their kids to find a sense of identity and cultural pride through in any environment.
In August 2008, Rauf opened a Facebook account for I Love Being Black. It has attracted a huge following, drawing as many as 13,000 fans per day. Now it averages 3,000 fans daily, with the majority being from Atlanta, New York and Chicago.
The site also has international fans.
"About 20 to 25 percent of our Facebook fans are from countries other than the U.S.," Rauf said. "This helps me to remember that this movement is international."
Though I Love Being Black has enjoyed great success, Rauf said not everyone is always happy to hear the message.
"Some non-black people get offended," he said. "A few times someone said, 'Oh, that's a funny shirt.' But I just laugh inside because I know that some people ... respond like that because they think if we were given one wish, it would be to not be black."
Yet Rauf believes "it's quite the opposite, because we've been through a lot, and our history is checkered with success and hardship," he says. "But overcoming extreme oppression is where our pride comes from."
Rauf's commitment to the black community goes beyond his business and self-pride. I Love Being Black has contributed to a number of nonprofits, including the Black Women's Health Conference; the National Society of Black Engineers; and the Los Angeles-based Sisters Against Drugs and Alcohol Abuse.
Nadege Clitandre, founder and executive director of Haiti Soleil, a nonprofit that focuses on youth education in Haiti, said Rauf's contribution to the organization was essential in young Haitians understanding their role in the global community.
Rauf sent some T-shirts to kids in the youth summer program, and the gift gave them a sense a pride, Clitandre said. It provided them with an understanding of how to place Haitian identity in a larger black community, she added.
With his sights on the future, Rauf plans to expand I Love Being Black.
"Aside from fashion, we basically want I Love Being Black to become an umbrella that branches out as a resource for others to learn about black culture and history," Rauf said. "We want to be a hub for everything black and give back to different efforts that are furthering the black community."
India Allen is a writer for the L.A. Watts Times.
Photos from L.A. Watts Times.
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