Taking a rain check, the celebration of Father’s Day hosted by Syracuse Housing Authority and Somali-Bantu Community Association was pushed from last week to Thursday, June 20. It was the third year that the residents from McKinley Manor, Central Village and Pioneer Homes got together to celebrate the special day. This time, it was a beautiful day. Tables, chairs and …

Trinisa Pitts had some catching up to do. She hadn’t been able to attend the Juneteenth African-American Cultural Festival since it was moved from the Spirit of Jubilee Park on South Avenue to Clinton Square about 10 years ago, making the transition from its traditional location on the South Side to downtown Syracuse. “I didn’t want to miss it this …

Volunteers put in more than 400 hours to pull off celebration A number of people gathered in Clinton Square for the annual Juneteenth celebration, Saturday, June 15. They showed support for Juneteenth – that is, June 18th and 19th – and could be found anywhere in Clinton Square. The Juneteenth celebration had many attractions, such as the food court with …

Last year’s event drew about 28,000 attendees, making Juneteenth one of the major celebrations in the Syracuse area. The 22nd Annual Juneteenth African-American Cultural Festival is sponsored by Wegman’s, POWER620, City of Syracuse and Syracuse Model Neighborhood Facility Inc. and will take place Friday and Saturday, June 14 and 15, with the main celebration in Clinton Square on the 15th. …

Army Pvt. Kevin N. Ellis Sr. has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and …

Threat of Rain Dampens Crowd, but not Spirit The threat of rain and cloudy skies caused a smaller crowd than usual at the Light a Candle for Literacy 8th annual Parade and Festival.  However, the threat of inclement weather did not stop those in attendance from enjoying festivities. The parade, which began at the Key Bank parking lot on the …

Lanika Mabrey was unemployed for over two years. Struck by type 2 diabetes and uninsured, she said she spent a long time struggling with the disease while lacking health care. Then, a friend, Louise Poindexter, told her about the existence of a free health clinic in Syracuse. “I went there and they even gave me my diabetes medication for free,” …

On the afternoon of June 2, 22 representatives from five local grassroots nonprofit organizations celebrated their completion of The Leadership Classroom (TLC). The year-long program is an initiative of the Central New York Community Foundation. Participants learn advanced leadership skills alongside other neighborhood leaders in an interactive setting. After participating in monthly training sessions designed to enhance their leadership skills, …

With more than 10,000 helped last year, the center hopes to help even more in the future April 9, 2011, is a day that Michael Bratton will never forget. He lost his youngest child, a 27-year-old son. It was a normal, quiet Sunday morning for Bratton, until he got a call from his ex-wife who told him their son, Michael …

100 Black Men, Crouse Hospital Host Community Health Walk on June 8 100 Black Men of Syracuse, Inc., in partnership with Crouse Hospital, is sponsoring the fifth annual Winston Gaskin Community Walk for Wellness & Stroke Awareness on Saturday, June 8, at Thornden Park on Syracuse’s University Hill. Registrations, including a $10 registration fee, will be accepted from 8:30 to …