The South Side Newspaper Project published its first print issue of The Stand newspaper in March of 2010. The issue debuted over Valentine’s Weekend with a launch party. At that time, we invited residents to ‘Fall in Love with The Stand’ – a free paper and website devoted to the South Side. Now we invite our readers to celebrate our five-year milestone.
The celebration will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 21, at the South Side Innovation Center located at 2610 S. Salina St. The event will welcome Keynote Speaker Sean Kirst, an award-winning columnist for Syracuse Media Group and a Stand reader. To learn more, call (315) 882-1054 or email ashley@mysouthsidestand.com.

The Syracuse Chapter of Jack and Jill America Inc. presents the play “Cops and Robbers” at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at Onondaga Community College Storer Auditorium. “Cops and Robbers” provides a look into the dysfunctional relationship between law enforcement, the media and the Black community. Centered on an officer involved shooting, writer/performer Jinho “The Piper” Ferreira takes the audience on an emotionally charged ride with unexpected twists and turns. The Piper seamlessly travels through 17 characters, each with their own convictions, logic, and prejudices. “Cops and Robbers” takes no prisoners as it challenges the viewer to question all preconceived notions of “right” and “wrong.” Ferreira is an award winning hip-hop artist and a deputy sheriff in Alameda County, California. The play has garnered national praise. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for students. There will be a special audience talk-back after the Saturday, March 21, performance where audience members can discuss the themes raised in the play. For more information, email jjsyracusechapter@gmail.com.

Applebee's Flapjack Fundraiser Breakfast to benefit Syracuse Africa Bound International's Educational programming. Donation: $7.

During this event, human books from the SU community representing a wide variety of cultural backgrounds, areas of expertise and life experiences will share their stories in conversation with individual “readers.” The event is intended to encourage diversity and challenge stereotypes and prejudices.

Human books—SU faculty, staff and students from a variety of campus departments—will engage in one-on-one or small group conversations for 20 minutes at a time. They will discuss different cultures, including Native American, Egyptian and Indian, as well as topics such as mental health, bullying, poetry and autism. Many of the human books will share stories of empowerment, self-discovery and overcoming obstacles to find success and happiness.

SU's Human Library event is part of a regional Human Library program taking place during April, the month in which National Library Week is celebrated, supported by the Central NY Library Resources Council. The first Human Library program was held in 2000 in Copenhagen, Denmark (see http://www.humanlibrary.org). Since then, similar events have been organized in libraries, schools and other institutions around the world.