Growing Up in the Bronx: My Journey to Owning White and Blue Nike Air Sneakers

When I was a kid, we were not well off. Frankly, we were quite poor. My mother worked really hard to provide my sister and me with pretty much anything she could. She tried, she really did. The thing is, kids from tough neighborhoods don’t always appreciate the efforts their parents make.

I still remember my first days of Junior High school, when I first became aware of name brand sneakers. In Mrs. Rogers’ homeroom, I got teased for my Action III skippy sneakers. I tried to find a picture, but these were some off-brand sneakers from the 80s, the kind you’d see in the neighborhood. I can’t find any pictures of them, but they were white, black, and blue with a velcro strap at the front that said “Action III.”

My mom tried to help me out and eventually got me a more expensive pair called Jox.

I walked into gym class wearing them, and this kid named Anthony, a big and goofy guy, came over and said, “What sneakers you got?” When he saw the Jox, he said, “Oh man, those are cool.” Then he looked closer and realized they were Jox. He said, “Are you trying to trick me bro? I thought those were Reeboks. Jox?” Then he shoved me and everyone started laughing. Sorry mom, the Jox didn’t do the trick. Also, Anthony, you silly goof!

I remember seeing my buddy Hector with some really nice looking Nikes in the cafeteria. I learned then that those were the “in” sneakers, and I started begging my mom to get me a pair. Back then, they were around 40 or 60 dollars, which may not sound like a lot now, but for us, it was a big deal. She said we couldn’t afford them many times.

After a while, I don’t know how she did it, but mom found the money and got me those sneakers. I’ve never forgotten that, and I’m eternally grateful to her for taking care of us back then. Not all moms did that for their kids.

So now the kids weren’t making fun of my old sneakers anymore, but that brought a new challenge, the risk of having your sneakers stolen. Growing up in the Bronx came with its own set of obstacles, and sometimes it felt like you just couldn’t win.