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November 3, 2023 0

Massachusetts Confronts Surge in Migrant Arrivals: A Maze of Challenges and Actions

As more and more migrant families arrive in Massachusetts, community response is strong, bringing out the best and worst in all of us. Managing emergency shelters is burning through about $45 million every month. Massachusetts is hoping for some federal help, while local nonprofits, like the Worcester Refugee Assistance Project and the Family Health Center of Worcester, are desperately seeking more donations and more volunteers. Recent news stories are also reporting that migrant families are now getting harassed by extremist […]

November 3, 2023 0

Kien Lang and Huiling Zhu, Longtime Boston Volunteers, Receive Community Hero Awards at ABCD Annual Celebration

by Derek He

On Nov 3, 2023, Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) will recognize 18 individuals for their significant dedication as volunteers to all of Boston’s diverse communities. . Marking a significant moment in the event’s history, Kien Lang and Huiling Zhu have been included in this prestigious roster. This inclusion stands as a noteworthy testament to the commitment of Asian Americans to help improve the lives of others who live in Boston. Incorporated in 1962, Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. […]

November 3, 2023 0

“Endurance Streets”: A History of Chinatown’s People in Pictures

by Mary Wong-Sommer

Endurance Streets: Resilience and Response in Boston’s Chinese Community is on display in special windows throughout Chinatown at 2 Boylston St. (China Trade Center) and 116 Harrison Ave. (Tufts University Health Sciences Building). The exhibition compiled over 30 panels with photographs and accompanying texts presenting scenes from Chinatown’s past and present with a focus on the people living and working in the neighborhood and the issues they have faced over the years… It is a collaboration between Tuft University’s Tisch […]

November 3, 2023 0

Asian Hate in Boston: A Conversation with City Council President Ed Flynn

by Aditya Venkatram

There was a nationwide increase in Asian hate incidents following the pandemic and the spread of COVID-19. Boston did not escape this terror. Recently, a group of teenagers boarded a train on the red line threatening violence to passengers and looking to rob them of their belongings. Eventually, they turned their attention to Vivian Dang, a woman of Asian descent. The teenagers hurled racial slurs against her and asked her derogatory questions, such as if she made egg rolls for […]

November 3, 2023 0

State, Federal Govs. Attempt to Solve Migrant Emergency in Massachusetts

by Jeff Millman

In August, Governor Maura Healey declared a state of emergency over increased migration to Massachusetts. More than 24,000 people are now living in state-funded shelters, hotels, dormitories, and emergency facilities in the state, and the Healey administration was concerned that these temporary dwelling units would soon be at capacity. In mid-October, Healey confirmed that the emergency shelter system would reach its limit by the end of the month and that Massachusetts would no longer be able to guarantee shelter for […]

October 20, 2023 0

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

by Kristen Si

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 […]

October 20, 2023 0

Life-sized exhibit highlights contributions of women of color in STEM

by Xiaoya Shao

Female scientists stood near life-sized statues — all in vibrant orange — near MIT recently to highlight women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics — fields struggling to close a nagging gender gap. The display, part of #IfThenSheCan exhibit showcasing trailblazers in STEM, paired 3-D printed statues with contemporary women of color innovators at the Cambridge Science Festival at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In the male-dominated world of STEM, both organizers and attendees stressed the importance of showcasing the […]

October 20, 2023 0

A New Strategy for Mass and Cass – and the Opioid Crisis?

by Jeff Millman

Ten years ago, the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard did not yet bear the moniker “Mass and Cass”. Millions of dollars were not spent on emergency services or police overtime in the area. City councilors did not debate about what to do there, and articles were not written about it in national papers. The area’s devolution into its present state as a full-blown humanitarian crisis mirrors the development of the opioid epidemic in the United States, which […]

October 20, 2023 0

The Story of NASA Astronaut Jose Hernandez Is Out of This World

by Tracy Huang

Jose Hernandez was rejected by NASA eleven times. And then, against all odds, he made it to space. Hernandez’s story — and how he went from working farms with his migrant Mexican parents as a child to an astronaut for the U.S. space agency — is portrayed in the film “Million Miles Away.” The movie tells how a poor child was able to make his way to space through consistent training and persistence and was finally able to achieve his […]

October 20, 2023 0

Celebrating the Resiliency of Philippines

by Zoe Liu

Filipino American History Month is annually celebrated in October, to honor the day of the first arrivals of Filipinos in Morro Bay, California in the United States on October 18, 1587. This year, Sampan had the opportunity to speak with John F Maisto, President of the Washington based US -Philippines Society. He explained, “Filipino American History Month is an opportunity to focus on everything Filipino that we have in our country” Politically, this important month marks 75 years of bilateral […]

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