Alabama A&M’s Zakiah Goodlow, Percussion Section Leader: ‘We Are Here to Annihilate’

By Je’Don Holloway-Talley | For The Birmingham Times When it comes to this year’s Magic City Classic, Zakiah Goodlow, a junior at Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (AAMU), is all business. The 20-year-old is the first female band captain and percussion section leader to take the reins under AAMU’s Band Director Carlton Wright since at least 2013. Goodlow is just one of many female band members representing The Marching Maroon and White on a high level. “Representation plays a huge role because, ever since females have started stepping into leadership roles in the band, we have recruited more females, and they are becoming more passionate and interested in our band culture,” said Goodlow, who plays the tenor drum. “The drumline alone has five females [out of 28 total members], and that’s the most females the section has ever had.” Ready For Battle Zakiah Goodlow, junior, band captain and percussion section leader in Lewis Crews Stadium on AAMU’s campus. (Amarr Croskey, For The Birmingham Times) Speaking of her section, Goodlow said every member knows what the percussionists mean to the entire 272-member band. “When it comes to the band as a whole, the drumline is the easily the heartbeat, the lungs,...