Manhattan teachers Karen Miller of PS/MS 57 and Michael DeShields of PS 3 flank Rashad Brown, the first co-chair of the UFT Pride Committee, as they walk with the UFT team in Central Park.
A UFT team of 20 people from schools across the city joined the 40th annual AIDS Walk in Central Park on May 18 to raise money for research and lifesaving programs for people living with HIV/AIDS. “This is a way for the UFT to raise awareness and give back,” said Rashad Brown, the first co-chair of the UFT Pride Committee. The union raised more than $5,000, he said. Karen Miller, a teacher at PS/MS 57 in Manhattan and the union’s top fundraiser for the past three years, brought in nearly $2,000 this year. “I remember the height of the AIDS epidemic in New York City and the stigma that went with it, so this is a strong, passionate project for me,” she said. Teacher Michael DeShields, from PS 3 in Manhattan, enjoyed the camaraderie of walking with colleagues from different schools on the packed route. “We’re going to continue doing this until AIDS is no longer an epidemic.”