December 20, 2024 | Vol. 53, Issue 24

The only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England

Remembering the Life and Work of N. Scott Momaday, First Native American to Win Pulitzer

N. Scott Momaday, a Pulitzer-Prize-winning novelist and poet, was a leader and trailblazer for modern Native American literature, with his award-winning novel, “House Made of Dawn” — the first work written by a Native American author to win the Pulitzer Prize. The book inspired a generation of Native American writers. As the U.S. celebrates the contributions of American Indian and Alaska Native peoples for National Native American Heritage Month, we reflect on Momaday’s life, work, and lasting impact both on […]

Warmer World Brings Dengue Close to Home

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning that after years of climate change, the global incidence of dengue fever has reached a record peak this year – reaching several parts of the U.S.In a recent Health Alert Network Health Advisory, the CDC reported that nearly 9.7 million dengue cases were spotted in the Americas for the first half of 2024, double the number of cases in 2023. According to the Pan American Health Organization, Latin America is experiencing […]

Tribute: Boston Ballet’s DePrince Remembered as ‘Truly Inspiring’

Michaela Mabinty DePrince, a former dancer for the prestigious Boston Ballet and a champion for diversity in the arts, passed away at age 29 on Sept. 10. DePrince was an inspiration to countless dancers and artists around the world for her exceptional work both on and off the stage. “I personally felt Michaela was a beautiful dancer and truly inspiring in her ability to break through glass ceilings,” Beth Mochizuki, artistic director at the Asian American Ballet Project, told the […]

Boston Community Pediatrics ‘Starts With the Patient,’: Doc

Boston Community Pediatrics (BCP) was recently awarded the 2024 Excellence in Innovation award during the during Massachusetts Nonprofit Network’s 2024 Excellence Awards. BCP is a nonprofit, multilingual private practice aiming to provide high-quality medical care to low-income patients, regardless of their insurance coverage. It’s located on Albany Street in the South End. Sampan had the opportunity to sit down with the founder of BCP, Dr. Robyn Riseberg. SAMPAN: What shortcomings in healthcare do you currently see exist for low-income pediatric […]

Clean Energy Activist Frank Pao Sees the Light

The U.S. Small Business Administration is lifting a loan program cap for clean energy projects for small businesses. With these new regulations, small businesses will be able to take out as many loans as they would like for up to $5.5 million to fund energy reduction or clean energy projects. These new policies come as part of a series of policy changes urging for cleaner energy from the Biden-Harris administration.Amid these new policy changes, Sampan had the opportunity to speak […]

Dr. Gisela Velez Awarded for Vision Care to Hispanics, Others

After years of helping under-served Hispanic residents of central Massachusetts with eye care, Dr. Gisela Velez has been honored by the Small Business Association. Her clinic, Central Mass Retina and Uveitis Center, was recently named Woman-Owned Business of the Year.Velez says her ability to care for patients while also speaking both English and Spanish has helped her better serve her patients. Her practice provides specialized medical ophthalmic care to patients whose only other option would be to travel to Boston […]

AstraZeneca’s Jab Ends; Officials Urge Getting Covid Boosters

AstraZeneca is pulling its Covid-19 vaccine, Vaxzevria, which had been OKed in several nations in Europe and elsewhere.The U.K. company’s official reason for withdrawing the vaccine was a lack of demand, as the pandemic has largely cooled since it first flared up in China after the first cases were detected in late 2019. The vaccine was granted full marketing authorization in the European Union in 2022.But just before the vaccine’s run was to end, AstraZeneca publicly admitted in court documents […]

More than 40,000 Uncontrolled Hazardous Waste Sites in the U.S – 40 are in MA

In February of this year, the federal government allocated $1 billion to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) program, better known as the Superfund program. Initiated in 1980, the Superfund program is a long-term initiative aimed at cleaning up toxic waste from hazardous “Superfund sites” across the country. Due to the involvement of several largely unregulated industries in the generation of this waste, the federal government, through the Superfund […]

I See a Dream : Immigrant Artists Mural of Newfound Home in America

Last month, Watertown saw an addition to its growing collection of street art through the opening of a new mural created by artists Amir Tabatabaei and Niloufar Keyhani. Located on the wall of Watertown Square’s CVS, the new mural, titled “I See a Dream”, opened to a crowd of nearly 100 onlookers on September 19, 2023. The original wall is in an area of Watertown known as Merchant’s Row, and contains more than 1000 square feet of space that was […]

Alarming Consequences for Asian Americans About High Exposure to “Forever” Chemicals

A shocking article published in August’s Environmental Science & Technology by the American Chemical Society showed that Asian Americans have disproportionately high exposure to polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The primary author, Dr. Shelly Liu who is an associate professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, additionally noted that when compared to whites, Asian Americans had a median PFAS level that was 88% higher. To fully understand the consequences of these findings, it is important to note the significant […]

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