I was 8 years old when I came to the U.S. with my family from Haiti. When I was 16 years old, my parents bought a house on the South Shore. Weeks later, my siblings and I found fliers left on our lawn from the KKK, which was recruiting people to join a planned rally. When we arrived at school, some of our classmates brought in the same fliers, which were left on their lawns, too. The summer of my […]
MIT professor Michel Anne-Frederic DeGraff has a long history as an expert in linguistics. His study in the field has propelled his career in academia at one of the world’s most prestigious institutions. His recent political activism, however, has gotten him in trouble with that very university. DeGraff’s supposed crime? Taking the side of solidarity with Palestine at a time when universities around the nation have increasingly cracked down on pro-Palestinian activism. Originally a student of computer science in the […]
The Asian American Civic Association, publisher of the Sampan, nominated volunteer Annie Lee as a Community Hero at the Action Community Development Corporation of Boston ‘s Annual Gala this year. Every year ABCD honors individuals who have served their communities. The AACA nominated Lee for her leadership as a founding member of the Voyagers, AACA’s youth services center. Lee, pictured second to left at top right, came to the AACA as a participant of a coding program offered by the […]
As immigration has taken center stage in the presidential election, it now feels like all eyes are on Haiti, my home country. That nation in turmoil — like Mexico and Latin America before, and even China in the distant past – has been unfairly singled out as a poster child for all kinds of America’s ills, with immigrants serving as scapegoats. Trump once stated that Haiti was a “shit hole country” and he opposed extending aid to the country as […]
A group of demonstrators on Sept. 24 surrounded the “Embrace” sculpture at the Boston Common to stand in solidarity with Haitian migrants across the country. The group called out the rhetoric and lies spread by the campaign of former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump about Haitian refugees in Ohio. “As a Haitian American person, I have an obligation. Whenever something bad is said about my community, it’s important for us to come together and unite,” said Brockton Councilor […]
