All Day Sunday / Uhuru Reunion Pt. 1

This weekend is the Uhuru/ADS reunion. First opened in 1969, All Day Sunday was a clothing store that specialized in the empowerment of black people and culture during a time where racial injustices were prevalent. Just so you have a better understanding, here are a couple of events that happened in 1969:

-The Congressional Black Caucus was founded

-Race riots in Jacksonville, FL, Springfield, MA, Hartford, CT

-U.S. Supreme Court ordered immediate desegregation of school districts

-Police kill two Black Panther members

-Jackson Five debut

-Maya Angelou Publishes “I know Why The Caged Bird Sings”

-James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to killing Martin Luther King Jr.

-Coretta Scott King Publishes “My Life With Martin Luther King Jr.”

Preceding these events, Freedom Riders were being attacked, March on Washington and the “I Have A Dream” speech took place, the 24th amendment abolished poll tax which made it hard for poor blacks to vote, Civil Rights Act of 1964, Malcolm X is murdered, march to Montgomery and bloody Sunday happened because of people supporting voting rights, affirmative action is enforced for the first time because of President Johnson, Huey Newton creates the Black Panthers, Loving v Virginia states prohibiting interracial marriage is unconstitutional, MLK Jr. was murdered in 1968 by James Earl Ray, Civil Rights act of 1968, all while the Vietnam War was taking place.

If it is hard for you to understand the need for a place that empowers black youth during that time period or even today, stop reading this blog post and go do some research. I'm not here to teach you. This is a tribute.

Back to Uhuru/All Day Sunday

The store did more than setting trends for the Rochester community for over thirty years. ADS was a home, a school, and a safe place where employees/family were taught how to run a business while learning how to take care of themselves. Although I was a toddler when my mother brought me around the shop, I was still heavily influenced by them through my sister who worked there. I even wear clothes from the boutique today.

Below is the interview with my sister. She explains her experiences with ADS and how it still impacts her everyday life.

Alright, what's your name?

Ayette LePora Jordan

What was your first job?

My first job was as a sales person at All Day Sunday, a boutique store in Rochester, NY in midtown plaza.

Do you remember how old you were?

15!

You were 15?

Yes. (laughs)

How were you hired?

Well, the store had been around since I was a little girl, before I was a little girl because my mom um used to put me in beauty pageants when I was 7 and 8 and she would take me in there and be like “she’s going to be in a pageant. Buy an ad!” and Frank would buy an ad so that’s my earliest memory of the store. Then as a teenager, 12, 13, 14, we would buy our t-shirts there and get them printed on and the visors… at some point when I was 14, I’m going in there, spending my little bit of money, I just looked around the place and I was like “Oh, I’m gonna work here.”

I would go in there, be with my fast friends… At some point, I don’t know if it was Anthony or Pully, I was like “I wanna work here, whassup?” and they just looked at me and was like “Go talk to her.” They pointed at Ruby.

Who is Ruby?

Ruby Lockhart? She was one of the owners. Frank and Ruby Lockhart.

Ok. continue. Go ahead.

So, um, I was immediately intimated when I looked at her. I trotted my little self right up to her.

Why were you intimidated?

'Cause she's very statuesque. She's got a very like direct, upright, queenly presence with her being like very tall and just so, you know, dressed to the nine's and she's got quite a withering stare.

Okay.

So I walked up to her, everything was going on, she looked down at me with this "Who are you?",

and I'm like "Can I have an application?" And she looked me up and down and was like "How old are you?" I was like "Fourteen." she was like "Tspf, come back and see me when you're fifteen and you have a permit and it better be legit." and just walked away. (we laugh) So as soon as I turned 15, I was in there! It was cold, it was winter time, but I was in.

So what happened during the hiring process, you just got the job like that?

So I was on trial. Basically what they would do is, your interview was to work a day.

Okay.

I never stood on my feet for 8 hours. (laughs) I had to come in on a Saturday, fold t-shirts, watch everybody, but I was like the t-shirt girl. I used to hook that stuff up. Like we would do all these things, make symbols and stuff... we knew how to do the knock-off stuff... because we could just make it. I was tired, my feet hurt, but I was so happy.

So when you started working there it was called All Day Sunday. Was it always called All Day Sunday?

Nope. So basically, it originated as a store called Uhuru. The premise was the black consciousness movement. It was kind of like a head shop. He had dashikis but he had bongs, but there was african art, statues... then they opened up a store at mid town plaza next to Clarence's shoe shop and then they got ground level.

So how did Uhuru turn into All Day Sunday?

Ruby.

Ok so how did Ruby and Frank create this?

She took Frank's vision, seed, original thing, and germinated it into something that just.. (snaps fingers) it went from head shop selling africanesque things and pieces to get them bongs out of here lets go, lets source these clothes out of New York City, lets do all these black books, lets do this, lets do that...

What was the ultimate goal when it comes to the black community?

I think black people of a certain era have a way about them. I wouldn't call them Black Panthers... but they will shoot a ______ motherfucker... because they grew up in a time where it was blatantly racist! They were are intelligent and artistic people... and they were just... I don't know what you would call it. Not separatist...

Are you trying to say they were policing for their people?

No, they were uplifting their people! I mean they brought black santa to midtown, got Bill Johnson the first black mayor elected in Rochester, supported Garth (Garth Fagan), supported us kids, I don't even know how many people came through the store as far as working there. But then if you think about the community, that place was like "it."

This is Part 1 of All Day Sunday Reunion. Keep checking the site for more on ADS.

#ADS #AllDaySunday #Uhuru