It was a night of food, festivity and recognition as members of the UFT African Heritage Committee gathered in Queens for the group’s 19th annual Awards Dinner Dance on Feb. 4, honoring the UFT’s Sterling Roberson with the Trailblazer Award, Queens Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman with the Frederick Douglass Award for Civil and Human Rights, and special education teacher Diamond Skinner with the Mary McLeod Bethune Award for Teacher Excellence.

Cogen Award winner Ellie Engler made a habit of keeping UFT members safe, from her work with the union’s Safety and Health Department, where she created the Health and Cancer Helpline and the Member Assistance Program, to her early warning about the danger of COVID-19.

The courage and hard work of members during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic was recognized on Nov. 7 at the UFT's annual Teacher Union Day celebration, held in Shanker Hall at UFT headquarters in Manhattan and online via Zoom.

New York State Attorney General Lititia James was honored at the UFT's Spring Education Conference on May 15 with the John Dewey Award for Excellence in Education, the highest honor the UFT bestows.

The New York City Art Teachers Association/UFT (NYCATA) challenge asked art teachers and their students — from elementary to high school — to create visual images of their feelings and concerns this school year. 


The UFT Speech Improvement Chapter's annual Better Speech and Hearing Month Celebration, held virtually on May 20, honored 34 members for creative projects as well as students and retiree Lisa Arian.