Sen. Rachel May will host the 2022 State of the Youth Rally to promote safe schools and communities. New York Attorney General Letitia James; Arthur “Bobby” Harrison, founder of Faith and Hope Community Center; Clifford Ryan, OG’s Against Gun Violence, and others will join May as students across the Syracuse City School District gather in classrooms and auditoriums to watch the event.

Photos and Story By Timia Cobb Syracuse residents don’t wait until July 4th to celebrate freedom. For many, the more meaningful holiday is Juneteenth. In honor of the historic day of freedom for African Americans, residents of all backgrounds filled the city’s streets on Saturday waving colorful Pan-African flags, dancing to music and enjoying food. At 11 a.m. sharp, dance …

Our 90th print edition features cover art by Robert Shetterly, an American artist who is best known for his portrait series, “Americans Who Tell the Truth.” Shetterly’s series now includes local anti-violence activist Clifford Ryan. The Stand’s Director, Ashley Kang, was commissioned to write Ryan’s bio to accompany his depiction in this national portrait series. It is republished on Page …

In the wake of the massacres in Buffalo and Uvalde, TX, Central New Yorkers will come together to demand real gun safety legislation from their representatives in Washington D.C. A group will march from the Everson Museum in downtown Syracuse to the Federal Building where attendees will rally. This event will be one of more than 500 across the country as part of a national day of action called by March For Our Lives.

Exhibit of The Stand’s most popular community event showcases photos of Syracuse over the years 

For me, it’s a strong publication … for your community, it could be a new vision for I-81

By Eddie Velazquez Dozens of demonstrators and activists marched toward the Syracuse Police Department building downtown Tuesday, May 25, in commemoration of the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, rallying behind cries for just policing and calling for an end to police brutality. Bishop H. Bernard Alex leads marchers down Willow Street towards downtown Syracuse on May 25, …

By Violet Lazarus “This trial was about the right to breathe,” said Bishop Colette Matthews-Carter, president of the Syracuse Onondaga NAACP, of the verdict taking national attention. On the evening of April 20, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on all three charges against him: murder in the second degree while committing a felony, murder in the third-degree …

How Rashawn Sullivan plans to turn a place of grief into a memorial garden

A group of Syracuse citizens organized a peaceful walk at McKinley Park on July 21 to demand justice for Jamire Gillard, who was shot and killed July 13. Chants of “stop the violence now” and “if you know something, say something” filled the streets, as the group became bigger by the block. The walk was attended by about 25 people of all …