On Friday, the United States Navy recognized Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Queens for its premier NJROTC program. The celebratory event, which was held during NYC Fleet Week and just ahead of Memorial Day, gave students the opportunity to step inside a Naval helicopter and engage with service members. The U.S. Navy Band and Ceremonial Color Guard provided musical entertainment, performing everything from timeless classics to students’ modern favorites. Congratulations to the entire school community on a wonderful event! (fb)

UFT paraprofessionals who attended the May meeting got a special treat! Paraprofessionals Chapter founder and first chair Velma Murphy Hill, with her husband Norman Hill, hosted a screening of the documentary short "Freedom Waders: The Struggle to Integrate Chicago's Rainbow Beach." The film tells a long-forgotten chapter of the civil rights movement. In 1960, Velma Murphy, then President of the South Side NAACP Youth Council, began dating Norman Hill, a prominent civil rights activist. Inspired by sit-in campaigns of the South, the young couple organized wade-ins at Chicago’s Rainbow Beach, braving mob violence. The screening was an amazing opportunity for our members to meet two labor legends who have always led by example. (fb)