April 26, 2024 | Vol. 53, Issue 8

The only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England

Front Page

From Compassion to Contempt: Shift in American Attitudes Towards Current Wave of Migrants

Sampan has been following the migrant crisis for the past four months. We have reported on emotionally charged issues including budget allocation, housing options for overflow arrivals, and discussions about the assimilation of these new families into Boston society. Today, Sampan shares the thoughts of 6 people who were eager to speak.  It is recorded through research and studies that America is a country of immigrants. From the nation’s very beginning, immigrants have defined our culture and shaped this country’s […]

50 Years After the War: The 1975 Vietnamese Diaspora Commemoration Seeks to Heal

The VietAID Community Center in Dorchester on April 20 hosted the “Intergenerational Cultural Commemoration Event” to mark Black April and look toward healing trauma and creating a cultural and generational bridge for the old and young. The event was led by the 1975 Vietnamese Diaspora Commemoration Initiative, which is creating the “1975: A Vietnamese Diaspora Healing Memorial.” Sampan was there. Black April is viewed as a critical moment in the Vietnamese diaspora and coincides with the fall of Saigon. Since […]

Opinion: Beware TikTok Medicine

Americans are increasingly turning to the internet for health advice. A 2022 study by CharityRx found that 65% of Americans use Google to get answers to health questions before they consult doctors. Around 20% try TikTok first, with the numbers higher for millennials and Gen-Z. As the demand for information grows, so does the supply of online “health influencers” ready to peddle products, supplements, and questionable treatments. According to the CharityRx study, 37% of Americans seek advice from online health […]

Rats in Boston: A Rising Concern and the Push for a New Pest Control Office

As Boston grapples with a surging rat population, officials and residents alike are increasingly concerned about the ramifications of this persistent problem. The city, renowned for its rich history and cultural significance, now faces a less savory challenge that could affect its public image and quality of life. Rats are not just a nuisance but a costly hazard as they get into homes, vehicles and elsewhere. In response to the escalating problem, Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn is advocating for […]

‘We Who Produce Pearls’ Fills in What the History Books Left Out Sampan Talks With Author, Artist About Asian Americans’ Shared Story, Resistance and Healing

The quality of a picture book depends on the compatibility of two major elements: the words and the images. How well do the images communicate with the text? Are the images competing with the text, or is there an ideal symbiotic relationship between the two? In “We Who Produce Pearls: An Anthem for Asian America,” the written reflections of Joanna Ho find a perfect balance with the vivid and colorful wall-mural style men, women, children, and beasts from Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya’s […]

Harvard College China Forum Tells the U.S.-China Story Sampan talks with two panelists about China, U.S. and soft power

This year’s Harvard College China Forum (HCCF) included the world’s most respected thinkers on everything China, and the Sampan caught up with two experts, Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States at the Wilson Center, and Andy Zeng, the co-president of HCCF. Founded in 1997 as Harvard China Review,  the forum is renowned as North America’s premier student-run conference focused on discussing the challenges, trends, and issues concerning China. Held annually at Harvard College […]

Advocates Welcome, Criticize Census Category Revisions  Some Say Changes Could Reduce Responses From Those Who Feel Un-Represented

Written in bland and unassuming language, newly released policy changes to how the U.S. government and Census categorizes some racial and ethnic groups could have an immeasurable impact on  Americans of Middle Eastern and North African descent, and other minority groups, say immigrant advocates. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget published on March 28 a set of revisions to “Statistical Policy Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity.” This revision added […]

2024 Boston Marathon Shows ‘One Boston’ Spirit

The city of Boston on April 15 held its 128th Marathon, bringing tens of thousands of runners from all over the world to the city in a show of grit and athleticism. Since its first race, the status of the Marathon has gained high esteem from the worldwide competitive running community, something that is apparent in the increase of participants throughout the decades. The first Boston Marathon, held in 1897, had a participant-list that included only 18 people; in 2022, […]

Increased Demand for Air Travel Means Emissions are Taking Off

As the airline industry faces growing challenges from shifts in consumer demand and sky-high jet fuel prices, one major problem persists: massive emissions created by air travel. Flying is one of the most carbon-intensive activities on the planet, and despite an overall surge in travel, some have even jumped on the bandwagon of the Swedish movement of “Flygskam”, which translates to “flight shame,” a term attributed to Swedish singer Staffan Lingberg, who gave up flying in 2017. Several airlines, however, […]

Update on The Migrant Crisis in Massachusetts

Immigration in Boston is changing. A report from the Boston Foundation and the Immigration Research Initiative published in February found that the most common places of origin and settlement for immigrants in Boston have shifted significantly in recent years. In 1990, the most common country of origin for Greater Boston’s foreign-born population was Canada. Six of the top ten countries were in Europe. By 2021, Canada and European countries weren’t even in the top ten – China, the Dominican Republic, […]

Thousands of Immigrant Deaths From Greed, Racism: A Painful Reminder

Last month six construction workers were found dead in a red pickup truck submerged in 25 feet of water in Baltimore, Maryland. The truck fell into the river following the collapse of the bridge they were working on. Only the bodies of 26-year-old Dorlian Castillo Cabrera and 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes were found inside the truck, according to USA Today,  According to the media outlet Firstpost, the six construction workers were part of a Central America crew from places like […]

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