On Those Concords...by pemora

If you have been living under a suburban rock, you may not have heard about this frenzy over the recent release of the Air Jordan XI Concords. People have waited in line for days, fights have broken out, there was even a faux murder plastered over twitter. Everywhere, I have read the same thing -- they are just kicks! What is the big deal? They are JUST kicks! Well, Alvin Blanco recently tweeted something that has me thinking...


via Animal New York

Jay said something briefly that really hit me in the gut. I tried exploring it a bit here but I don't think anyone has said it so succinctly and eloquently as Jay.

"I came from a poor background, so this is an accomplishment for me"

That's the thing...there is a whole generation of Blacks and Latinos who grew up poor and are now working + have a little cash in their pockets. This idea of being able to finally attain an item that was so out of our reach growing up is huge. It is not just about being a sneakerhead or wanting to look fly while walking down the street but being able to buy one of these re-releases is, exactly as Jay said, an accomplishment.

I realize that this does not apply to everyone but I think it is a sentiment worth giving more than 2 seconds of thought. In full disclosure, I have an appreciation for kicks but would not consider myself a sneakerhead. I leave that to my husband. But I recently purchased the Jordan 3 Cements because, in part, I distinctly remember when they were released, lusting after them and then not even asking my parents to purchase me a pair. Why? Because that would have been a truly LOL moment in my South Bronx household. My dad would probably have choked on his KOOL cigarette. And to now see them again, with the ability to actually buy them for myself, was pretty darn awesome.

Which brings me to a final thought...there are a number of us, who grew up wearing/wanting Timberlands, Polo, Girbaud, Tommy, and Jordans. We ran around the blocks of Bed Stuy, East Harlem, Harlem and the South Bronx. We are Black, brown, Latino, white and Asian. We went to Bronx Science, the Hilltop schools, Stuyvesant. We graduated from fill-in-the-blank prestigious college. And we are working. It would be nice if companies could start marketing to us.