June 6, 2025 | Vol. 54, Issue 11

The only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England

U.S. Lawmakers Put Asian American History to the Test

Measure would put Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian lessons in nation’s classrooms Two U.S. lawmakers have introduced a measure they say would help better educate U.S. students about the key moments and historical realities of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islander Americans that are often overlooked in U.S. classrooms and textbooks. “At a time when Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history is under attack, it is more important than ever before to ensure our stories […]

'They All Have Names' vigil held May 27 to May 28 recognized the names of the more than 17,400 children killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. Courtesy photo.

OPINION: ‘They All Have Names’ Vigil Reveals Moral Failures

As Dr. Lara Jirmanus spoke with the Sampan on the phone on May 28, a scan of the top stories on local newspaper sites around Boston revealed reports about the Karen Read case, the latest in the battle between Harvard University and the Trump administration, and immigration raids. What was missing? The 24-hour vigil that just concluded hours earlier in Cambridge, recognizing the more than 17,400 children killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. That number, for context, is far […]

Asian Groups Slam U.S.’ Policy on China Students

Several Asian American groups and leaders are blasting a newly revealed State Department policy to prevent many Chinese international students from studying in colleges and universities in the United States. The U.S. State Department on May 28 put out a notice that it “will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.” The department, in the brief note, also said […]

Crackdown on Students from China Blasted

Several Asian American groups and leaders are blasting a newly revealed State Department policy to prevent many Chinese international students from studying in colleges and universities in the United States. The U.S. State Department on May 28 put out a notice that it “will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.” The department, in the brief note, also said […]

Akiva Leibowitz; Photo by Adam Smith

Opinion: ‘Starts With the Keffiyehs, and Ends With the Pride Flags’

“It starts with the keffiyehs, and ends with the pride flags,” said Dr. Akiva Leibowitz during an interview with Sampan last week. A Brookline resident who has seen firsthand how even his neighbors could attack free speech, the parent was talking about the crackdowns of freedom of expression at every level of society over the past year and a half. Leibowitz, a critical care anesthesiologist, was just weeks earlier vying for a seat in the crowded race for Brookline’s school […]

A ‘Model Minority’ … and … Yet, Still a Threat?

If there’s a key takeaway from the newly released STAATUS Index on the nation’s attitudes toward Asian Americans, native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islander Americans, it’s that several longtime misconceptions have gotten worse. Released in time for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the comprehensive report shows Americans’ stereotypes and prejudices toward Asian Americans have persisted, in many cases, alongside ignorance.One glaring example stood out: A staggering 40% of Americans suspect to some degree that Asian Americans are more loyal to their […]

Vietnamese Americans Tell Story of Diaspora in Own Words at 50-Year Anniversary Event

This April marks a half-century since refugees began flooding from Vietnam after the end of the war, making their perilous escape from persecution and violence. In recognition of this anniversary, hundreds of Vietnamese Americans and others are slated to gather on April 26 at Boston College High School in Dorchester for “Remembering Black April: 50 Years of Vietnamese Diaspora.” “It’s a pretty momentous year and time to think about the impact of the war’s legacy on families and communities,” said […]

Docs at Arab Conference at Harvard: We Need Solidarity Not Charity

On a weekend when much of the U.S. media was fixated on the latest tariff spat with China, a small group of doctors in Boston was focused instead on the humanitarian crisis worsening in another part of the world: Gaza. Israeli forces had – just hours before the doctors met in the Harvard medical campus – struck Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, Gaza’s only remaining Christian hospital and, according to press reports, the last fully operating hospital in Gaza City. As the […]

Double Exposure: Photographer Lisa Tang Liu explores what it means to be ‘American’

Photographer Lisa Tang Liu made a career out of taking other people’s portraits. But she was never interested in taking her own photo — not even selfies on her phone. Then Covid hit, and some old, bad feelings from her childhood began to return. Having grown up in a predominantly white suburb in New Jersey as a child, she said, she felt “a sense of shame” for being Chinese. She wanted those around her to embrace that she was as […]

‘We Don’t Want to Repeat History’: State Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven Discusses Activist Fred Korematsu, Öztürk, and Trump 

The day before the Sampan had a scheduled interview with State Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven, her district was suddenly under an international spotlight. Thousands of people had come out to rally in the city of Somerville, part of Massachusetts’ 27th Middlesex District, for Rümeysa Öztürk. Öztürk is the Tufts University doctoral student who was detained by the Department of Homeland Security and was set for deportation back to Turkey — apparently, because she co-wrote an Op-Ed in her university newspaper a […]

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