Female members of New York Steel Bands
were invited to attend a photo shoot in Soho on January 19, 2003, with the
objective of featuring New York's "women of steel" in leading magazines.
Important times in the calendar year - Black History Month and Women's Month,
February and March respectively, are in the spotlight. Steelband was
once male-dominated, and this photo shoot provided a great opportunity for
these women of steel to express their opinions on the importance of
their roles in the steelband.
I briefly managed to
speak to three women, Charmaine, Letisha, Ingrid, and
one little girl of four years called Victoria. RADOES was
formed only in July 2002, with one hundred and ten members. The band
has a mixture of all ages and gender. They have a very tight bond:
“Together as One”,
one of the ladies announces. They perform at any engagement and are
currently planning to produce a CD. Their goals are to enter some
competitions and triumph. “Focusing strong community ties using the
band as diversity for youth,” says Charmaine.
