![PS 36M members Three women pose for a photo in a Lunar New Year themed frame](/sites/default/files/styles/medium_auto/public/photos/129_129MRB088.jpg?itok=53cEa87w)
Paraprofessional Monique Watts-Harouna (center), Chapter Leader Faiza Khalid (left) and teacher Himilce Guijarro, all of PS 36 in Manhattan, share a social media moment.
Before 2020, teacher Faiza Khalid took her students from PS 36 in Manhattan to Chinatown for a Lunar New Year experience, of some sort, every year. The COVID-19 pandemic put those trips on hold. This year, on March 10, Khalid, the school’s chapter leader, and six of her colleagues attended the UFT Asian-American Heritage Committee’s Lunar New Year Banquet at House of Joy restaurant in Chinatown. The capacity crowd marked the Year of the Rabbit with a feast and a lion dance featuring students from PS 124 in Manhattan. “It was a great opportunity to engage my members in this cultural experience,” Khalid said. The event also provided members and guests with “a reminder that Asian-American history is a significant part of the UFT and its history,” said Seung Lee, the committee chair. Attendees also received curriculum resources highlighting the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.