When I was a kid, growing up in Brownsville Brooklyn in the 80’s, we didn’t always have a lot. So when we did get something new or nice, it was a big deal. One such occasion was the holiday known as Easter Sunday.
Now I know Easter is a holiday about the resurrection of Jesus and a celebration of that occurance. Along with that comes Easter eggs (dipping them into paint was always fun), candy, and fake grass for the baskets. Where this connects to the ressurection of Jesus is beyond me and fortunately is not the experience of Easter I’m here to discuss. In New York City, and particularly in the HOODS of New York City, Easter meant something different.
Easter Sunday was the day when EVERYBODY (who could afford to) got a new outfit. Folks who went to church might rock a new suit on that day to celebrate but in my neighborhood and in others around the city, we were rocking a different kind of suit. Jean suits, sweat suits and track suits were the style of the time and this was the day for you to show out with yours.
The weeks leading up to Easter would have the shopping area in Brownsville (Belmont and Pitkin Ave.) buzzing with activity. Clothing stores like Simon’s and Harry’s would have all kinds of people in and out of their stores trying to get the hottest gear for that Easter. I’m not just talking about a Puma or Adidas track suit. The brands we were rocking (or at least EYE was) were Todd-1 and Troop. Troop suits were BIG. Those were for the big kids though. I never had a Troop suit. MAYBE I had a pair of their sneakers. And that’s the other thing, the sneakers.
To make your outfit complete you HAD to get a new pair of sneakers. Again, for kids like us who didn’t have a lot, this was a big deal. I normally got sneakers when the school year started and the next time I could possibly get a new pair was Easter. That was it. So Easter was a chance to re-up on your fresh. There was a science to all of this though. You didn’t want to get the shoes that everyone got at the beginning of the school year because it would be a waste of your opportunity to get fresh. I made that mistake one year. I missed the memo on the Etonic Trans-Am shoe in September and instead got a red pair for Easter. I remember the look of disappointment on Tamika Hart’s face when she learned I JUST got those for Easter. #NeverForget (And yes in elementary school, people are only full names.)
But once you had your outfit and your new crisp pair of sneakers then came the actual day. Easter Sunday, when you got to debut this new outfit for the world. Going outside to meet with your friends and see what they had on was something special. It was a crime to come outside and not have on a new outfit. I had friends who because of their family’s religious beliefs were guilty of that crime. I felt for them.
We would parade around in our new gear, first through the neighborhood and then the city. People would go to one of two major places, either to the movies or an amusement park. And that meant you were generally downtown Brooklyn or on 42nd Street OR you went to Coney Island. Teenagers from all over were roaming the city looking fresh, trying to be seen, and to be truthful, trying not to get robbed. This was that time as well.
There was so much joy to me in that time. The music, the food the sense of community. There is so much more I could write about this, and maybe I will. That’s what books are for. But in the meantime let’s remember what it was like to get one outfit and have it mean the world to you. To feel like you were walking on air because your shoes were so new and you didn’t want to crease them. To feel like for one day, you were brought back to life and seen by the world for the beautiful being that you are.