“We the Dark Girls are talented, smart and strong…” This is the beginning of the manifesto of the Dark Girls Project. These words can be heard from the voices of 40 young girls and women every Thursday after school at Danforth Middle School. These words mark the start of every meeting.

Stop Proposed Cuts to CENTRO Service On Thursday, Feb. 19, we had a meeting at City Hall in Syracuse concerning CNY Centro. Centro is proposing service cuts to the Syracuse area. Local 580 is not in agreement with these cuts. We believe they should be adding services and hiring more drivers. The Mission of CNYRTA is to provide services which …

A housing complex on the South Side honors two notable African American personalities: Lewis Latimer, a member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and Maya Angelou, a Pulitzer Prize nominee. The housing complex has terraces named after both. But an African American more familiar to the neighbors got a bigger honor. He had the whole housing complex named after …

Community figure, Nation of Islam minister recently named to Syracuse School Board Mark Muhammad guards himself as if he were his own personal Queen’s guard. He is hesitant about showing emotion, explaining who he is and expressing his beliefs. But once he is willing to speak, he opens up about who he is like the call to the altar. He …

Week-long series to use hip-hop to teach urban youth survivor skills The Good Life Youth Foundation is using the power of Hip-Hop culture to address current challenges of violence affecting urban youth. During school’s Winter Break, Feb. 16 through Feb. 20, from noon to 3 p.m. daily, The Good Life Youth Foundation will present a series of interactive workshops filtered …

South Side quilting group plans Valentine Rendez-vous The Sankofa Piecemakers take pieces of fabric that most people would discard or overlook and sew them together, making a one of a kind masterpiece: a quilt. This coming Valentine’s Day, as part of the Syracuse Beauchamp Branch Library’s Black History Month celebration, the quilting guild will demonstrate the basics of quilt making, a …

Hasan Stephens believes hip-hop can lead youth away from the streets and toward success A 15-year-old steals from an elderly man. The goal: Get just enough money to buy some food. The yield: Just seven cents. Still, the culprit draws prison from a judge bent on teaching him a lesson. This could be one of the songs “DJ Maestro” plays …

Timothy Bryant’s tumultuous childhood motivates him to help others affected by trauma Timothy Bryant was a single father working as a massage therapist and director at a Syracuse spa when he met a client who was a Syracuse University professor. As the professor learned more about Tim, she suggested to him that a degree in public health might feed his …

Newhouse student recounts her experience writing for The Stand I  really think The Stand is something special. In a world where larger news outlets are laying off reporters to save money and stay in business, it’s become increasingly difficult for a newsroom to cover its market. Syracuse is especially hard to cover because of the broad range of issues residents …

Finding ways to help women detect breast cancer, then get through it Valerie Taylor was lying down relaxing in her home when she felt an itch in her right breast. When she touched it, she discovered a lump that felt like the shape of an egg. She called her doctor right away. “I was more scared than anything because I …