Features

March 19, 2021 0

Federal Communication Commission launched the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

Helping eligible households with access to broadband (請點這裡閱讀中文版。) One year into the pandemic and there are still families who cannot get their children on reliable WiFi for school. The digital divide caused by economic disparity continues to grow. According to the Federal Communications Commission’s Eighth Broadband Progress Report, they found that “approximately 19 million Americans—6 percent of the population—still lack access to fixed broadband service at threshold speeds.” Although this has greatly affected the rural population in particular, in places […]

March 19, 2021 0

14 families filed lawsuit against BPS “Zip Code Quota Admissions”

by Martin Ma (馬笑喻)

(請點這裡閱讀中文版。) Boston is home to three elite exam schools: Boston Latin Academy, Boston Latin School, and the John D. O’Bryant School. These schools, although public, are different from their counterparts as they require excellence in academic grades and high scores on a standardized test in order for students to attend. They have also long been contested as adding to the inequities of disadvantaged students of color, who are largely disproportionately represented at these elite schools, especially at Boston Latin Academy. […]

March 19, 2021 0

Increased linkage fees supports affordable housing and workforce development in Boston

by Carey Lin

(請點這裡閱讀中文版。) In February, Mayor Martin Walsh announced the official increase of linkage fees by 42%. Now, for any commercial development over 100,000 square feet in Boston, $15.39 per square foot will be collected as linkage fees, of which $13.00 will contribute to supporting affordable housing and $2.39 will go towards workforce development programs in the city. Originally created in 1986, the Boston Linkage Program was established to leverage funding for the community from large-scale commercial real-estate development. For years, the […]

March 5, 2021 0

Will apprenticeships help save the US workforce in pandemic aftermath?

by Carey Lin

By Carey Lin (To read this post in Chinese, please click here.) On Feb 17, the Biden administration announced their goal of providing better-paying work opportunities for Americans, beginning with the Apprenticeship Act of 2021, which includes putting $400 million into apprenticeship programs. While the act has yet to pass, the Department of Labor (DoL) has also announced that they will be taking action to strengthen and streamline the Registered Apprenticeship Program to ensure that it can better meet the […]

March 5, 2021 0

Vaccine rollout racial inequalities persist in Massachusetts and the nation

by Martin Ma (馬笑喻)

In some ways COVID 19 has brought all together in our vulnerability, but in other ways it has again reflected our stark differences and the existence of institutional racism all around us. A new coalition “Vaccine Equity Now! Coalition” has brought together public health experts, civil rights, and social justice leaders to collectively address the racial inequalities that exist in the coronavirus distribution in Massachusetts. According to recent data from the Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA), white residents had received […]

March 5, 2021 0

USCIS cancels 2020 changes: Naturalization Civics Test reverts back to 2008 version

by Carey Lin

On February 22, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will cancel the changes made to the Naturalization Civics Test from December 2020 and revert back to the 2008 version of the Civics Test. This is part of President Biden’s executive order on “Restoring Faith in our Legal Immigration Systems.” The Civics Test is an oral exam that takes place at the end of the naturalization process. According to the USCIS website, there are a total of […]

March 5, 2021 0

Preventing violence against Asian Americans in Boston

by Jacqueline Church

The growing problem of anti-Asian violence has finally come to the attention of media and government officials nationwide. In the period from March 2020 to December 2020, a national coalition, Stop AAPI Hate (https://stopaapihate.org/) received over 2,800 first-hand reports of acts of aggression or hate speech, 126 of them against Asians over 60 years old. Reports from across the country, from Indiana to North Carolina, small towns and big cities like San Francisco and New York, show that everyday bias […]

February 19, 2021 0

Amidst new state initiatives, bilingual senior home residents reflect on overcoming vaccine hesitancy

by Christine Mui

For weeks, a coalition of local organizations and medical professionals have urged Governor Charlie Baker to prioritize the state’s minority and immigrant communities during COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Further slowing vaccination efforts, vaccine hesitancy stemming from historical health inequities persists among eligible seniors in those communities. Two Chinese residents of the Brown Family House, who received the COVID-19 vaccine as part of Phase 1 of Massachusetts’ rollout plan, spoke to Sampan about the experience and why they overcame their vaccine hesitancy. […]

February 19, 2021 0

Douzo owner Jack Huang on persevering through the pandemic

by Carey Lin

Boston Chinatown restaurants are some of the worst-hit businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several places have closed down without knowing if they will reopen again. What many businesses had thought would be a temporary closure a year ago still remains today. Douzo Sushi Owner Jack Huang said, “Asian restaurants actually took a big hit. In general, the hospitality industry has been destroyed.” Despite that, Huang’s business has persevered, and he shared in an interview with Sampan how they managed to […]

February 19, 2021 0

Tech companies must address hate speech aimed at BIPOC

by Jun Li

As tech companies have grown increasingly prevalent, moderation, especially in regards to hateful or discriminatory content, has as well. While most tech companies have policies that clearly delineate what is free speech and what is hate speech, for some — such as LinkedIn — enforcing those policies is what has become problematic. Edward Hsieh, chief operating officer of the Asian American Civic Association (AACA), said he received a harassing message from a LinkedIn burner-profile accusing him of being a “spy […]

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