UFT members gathered at union headquarters for debate watch parties on Sept. 10 to watch Kamala Harris and Donald Trump face off.
UFT members gathered at union headquarters for debate watch parties on Sept. 10 to watch Kamala Harris and Donald Trump face off and on Oct. 1 to watch their running mates confront each other. Hosted by UFT President Michael Mulgrew and AFT President Randi Weingarten, the Sept. 10 event served as the kickoff to the UFT’s efforts to help propel Harris and Tim Walz to victory on Nov. 5. Carlene Bowman, a teacher at PS X643, a District 75 school in the Bronx, attended the watch party with Shawanda Weems, a teacher and the chapter leader at PS 15 in the Bronx. The stakes could not be higher this election, Bowman said.
Debate watch bingo winner, Chapter Leader Gary Di Franco of PS 107 in Brooklyn.
“For the sake of our union, for the sake of our rights, for the sake of all that impacts myself, my family and all of the children I serve, they are the best choice,” she said of the Harris-Walz ticket. Vincent Corletta, a teacher and the chapter leader at MS 137 in Queens who attended both watch parties, said he enjoyed the sign-making activity and collecting a freshly stamped political button. “We’re educators and we’re so hands-on with everything, so it made it more fun, more tactile,” he said. Corletta said the events, which also featured debate watch bingo, were a great idea. “Whether we like it not, education is political,” Corletta said. “Who’s in the White House, who’s the mayor, affects us.’”