SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - A local organization is helping dress the next generation of Americans one suit at a time.

Inside Suit Up Springfield, the racks are full of more than just fabric and thread, they are full of potential. The nonprofit is partnering with Buffalo-based St. Brian Clothiers and the King Urban Life Center, an organization driven to improve the lives of the people in their community.

Together they are launching “America 250: United Suits of America,” a national suit giveaway campaign.

“We are working with them and giving them over 300 suits to start off their promotion,” said Ron Cole, general manager of Suit Up Springfield. “This is a good way to support America 250.”

Suit Up Springfield will be the Massachusetts representative of the campaign which is working to provide 50 suits to 50 new Americans in each state.

The suits collected during the campaign, which launched on July 4, will go to people for naturalization ceremonies as well as students looking for suits for prom and military veterans and frontline workers.

“We use a lot of analogies to describe suits, sometimes it’s camouflage, sometimes it’s armor so, once we put that armor on, you know, they feel prepared,” said founder of St. Brian Clothiers Dewitt Lee. “They feel ready to take on whatever.”

Lee started his nonprofit as a way to help his community heal after a tragic Tops supermarket shooting left ten Black people dead in Buffalo in 2022.

For Lee, starting in Massachusetts, what he calls the birthplace of American democracy. was intentional. He wants every new citizen to feel respected as they take their oath of allegiance.

“It’s celebrating life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And as we discuss this Declaration of Independence, you know, that’s a very important tagline that we are focusing this campaign on,” he said. “Those who are in pursuit of happiness, the life of liberty here in America.”

The organizers say this is just the beginning. They hope to find partners in every state to ensure that every new American has the chance to dress for the dream they’ve worked so hard to achieve.

If you’d like to help, you can contact Lee at [email protected] or call (716) 349-7809.

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