New York, NY —

A debate over whether West Indian American Day parade participants can wear plain old t-shirts has been resolved. Organizers of the Brooklyn parade have agreed to repeal a ban on t-shirts that was designed to preserve the event's traditional character.

REPORTER: The parade originated in Trinidad and Tobago, but Darlae Gervais of the Haitian Times says she and others met with parade organizers last week to explain that in other Caribbean countries, t-shirts are part of the tradition.

GERVAIS: In Haiti ... there is what you call the bon float ... wear costumes, and there is another part of the carnival where people just walk behind a truck and wear either the color of the band or they wear their plain clothes.

REPORTER: So this year organizers agreed they'd allow plain clothes behind trucks as long as people wear the same colors as the band. And next year when there's more time to prepare, Gervais says, the Haitians will try to dress up more, to adapt to the parade's traditions. The parade is two weeks from today, on Labor Day.