Celebrations of International Women’s Day turned into a weekend of events and activities on St. Thomas. Two events held Saturday on St. Thomas came with a focus on enterprise.
The female partner in a husband-and-wife-run business hosted a do-it-yourself workshop at Tutu Park Mall. Later in the day, another family welcomed women to participate in a Main Street photo shoot. Both events invited guests to mingle, network, and let their best qualities shine.
Photo shoot organizer May Leader said the women’s day of observance seemed like a good time to promote a sense of community. “It’s women’s month, and then it’s women’s international day — March 8; the fact that we’re such a small island and we see each other all over the place, but yet … How do we connect?” Leader asked.
As the springtime sunlight softened toward twilight, a photographer gathered women against the jalousied backdrop of a closed shop to work his magic. Leader led the series off, posing with uniformed members of the Virgin Islands Police Department.
At a greeting table near Cardow corner, volunteers signed up those who showed up. Thirteen-year-old Amayah Leader — May’s daughter — took a moment to share her story of setting up a lemonade stand five years ago.
A business, she said, is now a regular part of her yearly activities. Amayah Leader described her business plan, the sketch she drew for a product label, and decisions that were made about product packaging. She also spoke about how she pays her younger sisters out of proceeds from lemonade sales for assisting her, and her supplier at the Market Square, where she buys her inventory.
When asked how much of the profit goes toward savings, the young entrepreneur said she saves it all. “I pay my sisters because they help me, and then I put the rest in my savings,” she said.
From the other end of Main Street, near the I. Levine building, Shammie Phipps described the 10 years she has operated a clothing boutique. She said she joined the photo shoot event in hopes of inspiring other women to step out into the world of free enterprise.
“I think it will have a great impact on other women who would like to start a business (sic) or some other venture. If they could see other women collaborating and coming together, not just taking a picture, but understanding that these people live in the community and say, ‘Hey, I know this person. I didn’t know they had a business,” Phipps said.
May Leader said she’s been promoting get-togethers like this over the course of her lifetime, and that doing so is something she began by example from her family. She also spurned a question about whether the Women’s Day photo shoot was a way to attract supporters for political aspirations she hoped to pursue in 2026.
“Not at all; if you know May Leader, you know May Leader has been doing this for more than the past three decades,” she said.
With that, the organizer stepped back into the gathering to chat, connect, and watch the photographer capture Main Street images of community connection.
