April Fools Day Changed Ca$h, Kicks & Culture Forever.

April 1st’s reputation in the ‘hood has been rooted in buffoonery performed thru pranks, jokes, and varying scare tactics. All of this was for the sake of saying the now infamous phrase, “April Fools!”. One year, my then girlfriend (now wife) was forwarding “job acceptance emails” from a certain company stating that she was relocating to Texas for a job opportunity. I was fairly unfazed because I thought it was the best opportunity available and a reason to travel. However, her poor Grandmother didn’t take the April Fools joke as well given her reaction as reenacted by the legendary Fred G. Sanford.

In this story, the “G” stands for “Gold, Game and Growth” as 4/1 has been a foundational day for significant moments in American history:

Gold: 1788 — New Orleans own Oliver Pollock creates America’s “$” symbol.

Louisiana businessman Oliver Pollock funded the Revolutionary War out of his own billfold to the tune of 300,000 Spanish Pesos, the means of American commerce given the British revolt. 300K in 1788? Do you know the modern value equivalent of what Pollock pulled up with?

That’s right. Pollock backed up the Brinks Truck with a WHOLE B in hopes of getting access to American government officials. Basically, Pollock was the godfather of lobbying. Did it work tho? Well, kinda. For context, here’s a statue of the guy we’re discussing:

Only fitting that Pollock’s legacy appears in the form of a medieval poker chip. He bet on himself by shelling out a billion dollars so it’s only fitting Pollock would later go on to make numerical history…by accident of course.

Oliver P. wrote a letter to his good pal Robert Morris, Department Head of Finance for the U.S. government, in hopes of some reparations in the form of quid pro quo given his “generous” donation. While writing Morris, Pollock abbreviated pesos as “ps” on his scroll but he overlapped the p & s letters, appearing as a $ sign. Since its 1778, American government decides to add the $ symbol to the national ledger to represent “money”. By textbook hustling backwards, Pollock passed away broke after using his bread to help build America and never got it back. Fast forward, the impact of Pollock’s $ sign resides deep within New Orleans bloodlines. NOLA-based Cash Money Records adopted the $ symbol as their moniker early on in the game.

Game: 1984 — The Nike Air Jordan 1 Creates America’s Sneaker Culture

One person who is well accustomed to collecting $$$ within the game is Michael Jeffrey Jordan. On April 1st, 1984, His Royal Airness splashed onto the scene as the sensei of sneaker culture with the Air Jordan 1’s. Today, the aforementioned shoes got more colorways than your grandma’s moth-ball infested quilt. The impact of the Jordan Brand changed the kick game forever as Mike pioneered using his feet as the primary platform to display fashion sense with fiscal prowess. Then, the kicks were $60. Today, floating around $200. By becoming the 1st pair of kicks banned by the NBA, it propelled his legacy into another stratosphere.

America’s economy has been significantly stimulated because of April Fool’s behavior. Here’s a few nuggets coming in hot off of 4/1’s grease, ready to be served to the growth of America:

Growth — Historical 4/1 facts that impacted America

• 1867 — Blacks vote in municipal election in Tuscumbia, Alabama
• 1868 — Hampton Institute opens
• 1891 — The Wrigley Company is founded in Chicago, Illinois
• 1929 — Morehouse, Spelman & Clark-Atlanta University affiliate launched
• 1966–1st world festival of black art in Dakar, Senegal
• 1984 — Marvin Gaye passes away during a family feud
• 1991 — US Supreme Court rules jurors cannot be barred from serving due to race
• 2004 — Google introduces Gmail
• 2016 — President Barack Obama flexes on critics after 7.1 million people sign up for Obamacare: “the debate over repealing this law is over.”

Black people voting in the Alabama boondocks? Prez Obeezy hitting his healthcare haters with the Mutombo finger wag? April 1st’s energy hits a little different now, don’t it? The impact of curating cash signs, designer kicks, chewing gum, HBCU’s, and Gmail accounts can all trace back to the day many associate with foolish, nonsensical behavior. Yet, the culture’s equitable value went up incrementally on 4/1, catalyzing America’s ability to cut the check for the last 400 years of service.

Originally published at https://www.writingontheball.com on April 2, 2021.