The Stand
For this month’s cover story, graduate student Kate Mazade along with photo volunteer Robert Schulz visited Hopps Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal Church to learn how its congregation survived after the construction of the I-81 viaduct forced its members to relocate. Mazade did an amazing job of examining the church’s long history and speaking with current members. Her story shares how the church will move forward in the face of uncertainty once again with the looming reconstruction of the I-81 corridor through the city.
One of our core missions is to train community members to tell their own stories, and we are putting out a call for more writers, photographers and storytellers. We can provide you with a story to cover in the community, or you can pitch us your own ideas. You do not need any journalism experience as we’ll provide you with the necessary training. If you are passionate about your community and enjoy reading and telling true stories, then we want you on our team. Learn more about how to get involved here.
This month, we’re happy to welcome new contributors, including at least one writer you probably know: Walt Shepperd. The long-time city resident, founder of the Media Unit and contributor to The New Times, interviews Howie Hawkins, who is seeking the Green Party nomination for president. Hawkins is running on an environmental platform that seeks to fight climate change, which has been in the news a lot recently with a series of protests known as the Global Climate Strike, which took place in Syracuse and around the world in late September.
We also welcome contributors Kate Mazade and Sarah Tietje-Mietz, both graduate students in the Newhouse School’s Goldring Arts Journalism program, and Alex Rouhandeh, a Syracuse University senior studying magazine journalism and public policy. These students help us fulfill another Stand mission: to train the next generation of journalists on how to cover community news. As news organizations cut community coverage nationally, we are grateful to the support provided by Syracuse University, which has sustained The Stand for the past decade.
Recent studies show that a lack of community journalism leads to greater polarization, lower voter turnout, less government accountability and less trust. We’re excited to continue to work with you to tell your stories and to develop a healthy information ecosystem on the South Side.
