The 2021 Virtual Health Justice Conference at Upstate will focus on taking action for healthcare equity. The sessions will reflect on society's prolonged history of injustice that has created current health disparities, while inspiring future healthcare professionals to speak up and take charge both in and out of the hospital. Workshop offerings will focus on topics including Structural Violence, Immigrant Health & Health Advocacy, Health Justice and LGBTQ, Native American Health Disparities, History & Culture, Black Mental Health and the Intersection of Disability and Gender. There will also be optional yoga and meditation sessions starting at 9 a.m. before the opening address at 9:45 a.m. In addition to workshops, two panels will be offered: "Food Insecurity & COVID-19" and "Racism and Our Public Health State of Emergency." Zoom links to all sessions will be emailed. Contact  hjcupstate@gmail.com with questions. Registration is open to the public.

The city of Syracuse is joining with Onondaga County and the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office to conduct community forums on police reform. A meeting for residents of both the South and East sides will be held via Zoom at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19. It will be hosted by the Rev. H. Bernard Alex of Victory Temple Fellowship Church.

Join Onondaga Community College virtually to learn about the admission process, financial aid, college textbooks, campus life, how students can be successful in college and more.

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh will deliver the 2021 State of the City at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, from the newly-constructed Salt City Market in downtown Syracuse. The address will be livestreamed without an in-person audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual report from the mayor of the city to the Common Council is required by the city’s charter.

The mayor’s State of the City address, his fourth since becoming Mayor in 2018, will be streamed on the City of Syracuse YouTube channel.

The Syracuse Onondaga NAACP will host a Town Hall “Educating Our Children in a COVID-19 World” at 6 p.m.  Thursday, Jan. 28, virtually via Zoom. The town hall will also be streamed on the group's Facebook page at @syracuseonondaganaacp. This meeting is open to the public. For more information, call (315) 440-6340 or email  syracusenaacp@gmail.com.

Families are invited to tune in to the live, virtual Laurie Berkner concert beginning at 6 p.m. Jan. 29. The event is free, though a donation of $35 per family is suggested to benefit the CNY Diaper Bank. All proceeds will go toward its diaper distribution program to keep area babies dry, clean and healthy. Families can preregister at CNYDiaperBank.org to receive a Zoom link, which will provide access to the show.

SCORE Syracuse will offer a free webinar at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, to provide participants with SCORE's template to write a business plan. Organizers will also provide worksheets to layout and create a professional and complete business plan for starting a new business.

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) will celebrates Black History Month with a special program, "Year of the Return: The Arrival of Enslaved Africans to the USA," which will be virtual and open to the public.

Dr. Malika Carter, chief diversity officer at ESF, will host the Zoom program to share knowledge about "The Year of the Return," and subsequent acknowledgements referred to as “Beyond the Return.” In 2019, Ghana successfully hosted "The Year of Return," a year-long program of activities to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first recorded enslaved Africans in Virginia in the United States. ESF's program will be held from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Feb. 10. Registration is required; to register, visit  https://linktr.ee/esfdiversity. For additional information contact Dr. Lizette Rivera, director of student inclusion initiatives and special assistant to the CDO, at lrivera@esf.edu.

U.S. Rep. John Katko for New York’s 24th congressional district will discuss the new Congress, bipartisanship and his role as the Ranking Member of the Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Innovation subcommittee during this week's Thursday Morning Roundtable. This event will continue in a virtual format using Zoom to hear presentations from speakers followed by a facilitated Q&A. 

Join Joe Driscoll & Friends for an online music event to raise the last $10,000 to purchase a new van for the Westcott Community Center. The van will help the center deliver meals and medicine to senior citizens on Syracuse's East Side. Watch the live music event on the Westcott Community Center's Facebook page or Joe Driscoll page. Musical performances will include: Joe Driscoll, William Nicholson, Billy Harrison, Jess Novak, Steve Scuteri, Riley Mahan, Larry Hoyt, Major Player, Benjamin Ellis, Colin Aberdeen  and Chris Chiesa.