Jay Urich never thought this would explode the way it did.
He never thought blazing “’Matter’ is the minimum” on a poster board as part of a Black Lives Matter rally would set off a chain reaction that saw his sign go viral and ultimately lead him to start his own non-profit.
“It was an awesome experience to see how important social equality and ending racism is. The message that needs to be across, no matter what your situation is, is to show love and love everyone no matter what their skin color is,” Urich said. “That’s the most impactful part. Having a movement that’s so impactful to our society right now and have close friends who support it like Darien. It’s really been unbelievable.”
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Since painting the sign, which included “black lives are worthy, black lives are beloved, black lives are needed,” has taken off and been picked up on a national level.
Bernice King, the CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, tweeted a photo of Urich holding the sign and his saying has popped up at rallies across the country and even at Clemson, where Darien Rencher used his sign as part of the Tigers’ Black Lives Matter rally.
“I’m very proud of Darien, Trevor and everyone up there with the guys that organized that. They’re very good friends, love them to death, and seeing the message spread like it did was really humbling.”
The saying has become synonymous with Urich over the last few weeks and he’s used that to his advantage.
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He recently created his own non-profit organization, Original Design, with Matter is the Minimum part of what he calls the “umbrella” of the company.
It’s the belief and faith he picked up seeing his message go viral recently that helped him launch his company, which he first thought of in February.
“I think it gave me a lot of confidence. Matter is the Minimum wasn’t planned to go viral,” he said. “We didn’t plan for it to get any attention. To see how fast this message has moved, Matters the minimum is a movement we’re having. It’s a secondary thing to Original Design.”
His teammates have been nothing but supportive, joining him for a photoshoot promoting the new company.
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“They hopped on board too,” Urich said. “They’re excited to help me get the message out. not only is original design’s message important, but Matter is the Minimum. Pushing for social equality as well played a big piece of that as well.”
Original Design is selling “Matter is the Minimum” shirts online at OriginalDesignSC.org with all the proceeds going to Urich’s non-profit further the company’s misson of providing “resources, opportunities and supportive relationships necessary for children to lead healthy and honorable lives.”
