Braddock

It was time to transition to high school. Representatives from G. Holmes Braddock Senior High (Braddock) were visiting, looking to recruit eighth graders into the school’s Magnet Program. In order to remedy racial segregation in in public schools, magnet programs were intentionally designed to attract students who wouldn’t normally attend, creating a more racially balanced environment. Magnet schools have a variety of special curricula or programs including math, sciences, and visual and performing arts. Braddock had a “Professional Magnet”, and I was accepted.

I was bussed to Braddock, and because of the distance, I would have to get up at about 5am so that I was on time for the bus (5:30am). I was usually the first stop and there would be about10-12 more stops along the route to school. The time on the bus was usually an exciting time and depending when you were picked up, you had anywhere from 30-60 minutes to socialize with your friends. We would talk, sing, tell jokes, cuddle (if you had a boo at that time) and argue. I could imagine how the bus driver was overwhelmed with the amount of noise we made. There were times we had conversations that were so heated that we would have headaches from screaming our points at the top of our lungs.

It was during this time I met one of my best friends, Robyne. We were thick as thieves. Wherever you saw her, you saw me. She lived close to where we lived years prior, 17th anvenue and 65th street. Robyne was light skinned, stood about my height and had long, thick black/brown hair. The only girl child in a family of boys, she was a tom-boy. Whenever Robyne saw me, I was greeted with a “Shaq, what dey do?” Thinking about her makes me smile. Oh, how I miss my friend. I also met Chekena (Kena), Michelle, Shakesha (Kesha), and Angela (Angie). Although Robyne and I were the closest, I had very special relationships with all of these young ladies. Everyone had a special place in my life.

Kena was the rid or die girl. If you messed with her friends, you messed with her. She would go blow to blow with any and everybody, no matter if you were a man or woman. She stood about 5’8” tall was semi-dark complected, valuptuous and extremely mature. She was also really smart. Not only book smart but also life smart, she always seemed to make really sound decisions.

Michelle came along later on in our tenure at Braddock. Michelle was of Jamaican decent and at first seemed stand-offish but eventually became part of the gang. Anytime I think of Michelle, I visualize the sweat suite jacket she wore with everything. I think it was teal and white and no matter rain, sleet or snow she wore that damn jacket. I guess that was a common practice of girls that age. Michelle and I stopped talking in high school because she was dating a guy that I didn’t quite see eye to eye with. Fortunately, we were able to reconnect a little over a year ago. And after, picking up where we left off, our bond is even stronger to date.

Shakesha (Kesha) and Angie were first cousins. Kesha had and still does have the best sense of humor. She would laugh about everything. And when she had a really sweet joke, she would cover her mouth with clinched fist, I guess because she didn’t want to belt out a laugh. Angie and I bonded because of our love for dance. She stood a little taller than me and was built like a grown woman. Angie also had killer legs. I was always envious of her build. Being a scrawny teenager, I wasn’t able to attract the boys like Angie did. But her body wasn’t as great as her smile. Reflecting her inner beauty, Angie’s smile would brighten an entire room.

Attending Braddock allowed a panoramic view of culture. I was around Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Caucasian and Hatian-Americans whom I was most shocked by. Growing up in Liberty City, I was used to dark complected Hatians, with coarse hair. They always dressed their children as if they were going to church. The little girls would wear bofount type dresses draped in lace which were commonly referred to as “Easter Dresses”. And their hair was usually styled in two ponytails wrapped in cotton ribbon. The Hatian-Americans I encountered at Braddock looked different. They were lighter skinned with thick, long, pretty hair…..As if they “had Indian in their family”. They even dressed like we did, no church dresses, dress pants or dress shoes. And more importantly, they were human beings with thoughts, and ideas. They were beautiful people with an even more beautiful culture and great history. I should have been ashamed of myself judging an entire group of people based upon what they wore and how they looked. Unfortunately, adolescence doesn’t allow such insight.

And then there was Calvin. Calvin was a part of the Minister’s family so naturally, we met at church. He was tall, dark, handsome and loved baseball. He was one of the kids picked up by the church van, usually one of the first on. He would be sitting in a chair settled in the rear of the van and always greeted with a smile. Once we established our relationship, the smile turned into an intense kiss on the lips. Honey, I thought I was in love. I could eat links of Calvin and never get enough. The Minister’s daughter would allow us to meet up at her place. She had a two bedroom efficiency in the back of her mother’s house that was our hang out spot. Calvin would come over and we would do nothing but kiss. I couldn’t get enough of those big soft lips…well at least until he cheated on me with one of the girls from church. I found out they skipped school one day to hang out at his house in Clover Leaf apartments. Although we couldn’t maintain a romantic relationship, we maintained a friendship that we still have today.