An organization meeting of the city of Syracuse's Common Council will be held at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8, in the Common Council Chambers for the purpose of considering: Election of City Clerk, Election of President Pro-Tempore, Election of Majority Leader, Election of Minority Leader and Election of Majority Whip. Also, Common Council President Helen Hudson to adopt Rules of Procedure of the Syracuse Common Council for 2020-2021 and appoint the Standing Committee of the Syracuse Common Council, and the City Clerk will designate The Syracuse Post-Standard as the official newspaper for the city of Syracuse for the publication of legal notices during 2020-2021.

An Education Forum, "Advocating for the Success of Our Children," will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, at the South Side Innovation Center. Maureen A. Patterson, Ed.D., will speak. For more information, contact Lindsay Turk at l.p.turk@sunyocc.edu.

A Reading and Discussion Forum will be held Friday evenings through Feb. 7. Session will examine excerpts from Maya Angelou; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; W.E.B. DuBois, and more. There is no need to read ahead of time, just come with an open mind. Sessions will begin at 6 p.m. at the Cannon Street Community Center, 515 Cannon St., and are being offered by FORCE, Focusing Our Resources for Community Enlightenment. For more information, contact Brenda Muhammad at (315) 677-1664 or forcecny@aol.com.

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh will deliver the 2020 State of the City address at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, at SUNY Upstate Medical University. The annual report from the mayor of the City of Syracuse to the Common Council is required by the city’s charter. The mayor’s speech will be delivered from the 4th floor Lecture Hall in the Academic Building located behind Weiskotten Hall on the Upstate Campus. The State of the City address is free and open to the public.

A Reading and Discussion Forum will be held Friday evenings through Feb. 7. Session will examine excerpts from Maya Angelou; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; W.E.B. DuBois, and more. There is no need to read ahead of time, just come with an open mind. Sessions will begin at 6 p.m. at the Cannon Street Community Center, 515 Cannon St., and are being offered by FORCE, Focusing Our Resources for Community Enlightenment. For more information, contact Brenda Muhammad at (315) 677-1664 or forcecny@aol.com.

Join Dr. Norm Dann, Professor Emeritus at Morrisville State College and head docent of the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark, to discover the history of the Underground Railroad in Central New York. Attendees will learn about the operation and function of the Underground Railroad, plus intriguing details about the station in Peterboro that was operated by the Gerrit Smith family. For more information, contact Rebecca McLain at (315) 735-3642.

Tucker Missionary Baptist Church will host a Day of Service - "Tying Knots of Love" - to make blankets from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the fellowship hall. All are welcome.

The Tucker Missionary Baptist Church says MLK Day is not a day off but a "day on." The church will host a celebration to honor the life of Martin Luther King Jr. at noon Monday, Jan. 20, with a service delivered by Guest Preacher the Rev. Daren C. Jamie of People's AME Zion Church. 

A Reading and Discussion Forum will be held Friday evenings through Feb. 7. Session will examine excerpts from Maya Angelou; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; W.E.B. DuBois, and more. There is no need to read ahead of time, just come with an open mind. Sessions will begin at 6 p.m. at the Cannon Street Community Center, 515 Cannon St., and are being offered by FORCE, Focusing Our Resources for Community Enlightenment. For more information, contact Brenda Muhammad at (315) 677-1664 or forcecny@aol.com.

Syracuse University will host the 35th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26, at the Carrier Dome. Civil Rights leader the Rev. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, the spiritual home of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., will serve as the featured speaker. Tickets for the dinner and program are now available to purchase. This annual event at SU is the largest of its kind on a college campus and seeks to honor the message and mission of Dr. King. This year’s theme is “A Living Legacy.” Learn more about Warnock and the 2020 MLK Celebration at mlk.syr.edu.