General News
Celebrating unionists
Feb 28, 2008 2:57 PM
Award winners (seated from left) Garfield Smith of Transit Tech HS, UFT Vice President and Teacher Center Director Aminda Gentile, Ruth Russell of PS 181 in Brooklyn and SEIU Local 32BJ Vice President Kyle Bragg with (standing, from left) Phil Sylvester of PS 369 at IS 88 in Brooklyn, UFT Staff Director Leroy Barr, African Heritage Committee Chair Anthony Harmon, Brooklyn Special Representative Martha Lane, Vice President for Career and Technical Education High Schools Michael Mulgrew, Vice President for Elementary Schools Michelle Bodden, Queens Borough Representative Rona Freiser, Brooklyn Borough Representative Howard Schoor and District 16 Representative Ronald Mailman.
People are still talking about what a great night it was,” said Anthony Harmon, chair of the UFT African Heritage Committee.
The committee’s annual awards dinner dance was packed with 300 people, bursting with good vibes and went on into the wee hours at Antun’s catering hall in Queens.
“It was the biggest turnout we’ve had in five years,” Harmon said of the Feb. 1 fest. “The food was incredible, from oxtail to calamari, you name it; there were party favors, a raffle drawing and the whole nine, and everyone was out there celebrating some truly outstanding educators and unionists.”
After an official welcome from Harmon and a talk from UFT Vice President Michelle Bodden, the presentation ceremony opened with the Mary McLeod Bethune Awards. This year’s winners were Brooklyn’s Ruth Russell of PS 181 and Garfield Smith of East New York Transit Tech HS.
Russell — who has been teaching in the same building for 30 years, outlasting quite a few chancellors, administrations and principals — was honored for her devotion and years of excellence in the classroom. Smith was recognized for his outstanding work in the classroom and in the community and for often joining his students in community service — from removing grafitti from local churches to joining AIDS walks and March of Dimes activities.
The Frederick Douglass Award was presented to Kyle Bragg, vice president of SEIU Local 32BJ, for being the main force behind organizing building security officers, raising their status and salaries and thereby uplifting the lives of thousands of workers and their families.
Bodden presented the Trailblazer Award to UFT Vice President Aminda Gentile for her lifelong career working for quality education for all children by raising the quality of teachers’ professional development.
“Ask Aminda what’s the important thing in her career and she’ll say it’s been the growth of the UFT Teacher Center,” Bodden said.
“Ask anyone about the Teacher Center and you’ll hear words like ‘staff member’ instead of ‘specialist,’ ‘facilitate’ instead of ‘lead,’ ‘mentor’ instead of ‘expert,’ and ‘collaboration’ instead of ‘individual.’
“Now, no one there would say that this mentoring, facilitating, collaborating staff member named Aminda Gentile is her ‘boss,’ but everyone will tell you that this superb individual with an expertise and wisdom that is unique is the driving force and visionary behind the Teacher Center, the city’s mecca of professional development,” she said.
The night’s agenda came to life through emcees Martha Lane, Brooklyn UFT special representative, and Philip Sylvester, of PS 369 at IS 88 in Brooklyn. Earlier, Peggy Girtman-Atkins of Manhattan’s PS 161 led the crowd in singing the Black National Anthem.
