African American Day Parade
A Huge Success As Usual
But Where's The Pan?

The 36^th annual African-American Day Parade was held this past weekend in Harlem, New York.  Harlem, often referred to as the black capital of the world and as the cultural Mecca for music and the arts, was bustling on this day.  Everyone was there including current Mayor Mike Bloomberg.  The streets of the parade route were lined with tens of thousands of New Yorkers.  There were over two hundred participating organizations marching in the parade covering every aspect of African-American culture.  The parade is recognized as the largest Black parade in America and covers more than twenty-eight blocks from 111^th street to 142^nd street on Adam Clayton-Powell Boulevard.  The event showcases music, politics, art, social consciousness, literature, history and more.  The parade celebrates the great history and contributions of the African-American to America.  Every aspect of black life and culture was on display.  Some of the best African-American musical traditions were in the spotlight.  Drum and bugle bands from as far as Maryland performed.  However, conspicuously missing was the steel pan.  The steel band, once a staple at the parade has been missing since 2003.  In this regard, it is time that a conscious effort be made to return the steelband to parade.

This African-American day festival of arts and culture provides an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how the steelpan has become an intrinsic part of the African-American experience.  Moreover, it is a fitting arena to illustrate that while steelpan is commonly associated with carnival, it has long since surpassed this stereotypical image.  It also provides a platform to present  music on the instrument that has a much greater across-the-board appeal than the normal carnival genre selections.  The steelpan which has been in America for 50 years, has become also become part of the story of African-American struggle and survival.  Many of the New York steelbands are made up of youth who have never even been to the Caribbean.  The steelpan in America has become a distinctly African-American experience with its own set of stories, challenges and history that are unique to North America environment.

Recently, a Brooklyn organization called Pan Visionaries 2k was able to return steelpan to Prospect Park in Brooklyn after an absence of many years.  It was indeed a beautiful event.  Maybe, this organization can pick up the mantle and negotiate the return of the steelband to the African-American Day Parade.  It has been sorely missed.

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