April 11, 2025 | Vol. 54, Issue 7

The only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England

Front Page

Voters Have a Choice: A Guide to the Ballot Questions for Election Day November 8, 2022

Editor’s Note: History has proven that the success of Election Day ballot questions depends on details and explanations. If the specifics of each question are too convoluted, voters will be understandably frustrated that there are no clear explanations. To clearly inform readers so that they can make sound judgments on Election Day, Sampan is providing this handy guide to the four ballot questions: 1) a constitutional amendment adding an additional 4% state tax on income over $1 million; 2) a […]

A Guide to Select Races in the 2022 Midterm Elections

Many political commentators have said that this year’s midterm elections could break the political norms. All 435 House seats are on the ballot this November, as well as 35 U.S. Senate seats and 36 governorships. The Republicans need a net gain of 5 seats to win the House and also win 1 more seat to control the Senate. Other races including the elections of secretaries of state, attorneys general and control of state legislatures may also affect the 2024 presidential […]

R’Bonney Gabriel as the First Asian American Miss USA: Asian Representation in America

In early October, Miss Texas, R’Bonney Gabriel, was crowned Miss USA 2022. She is the first Filipina American as well as first Asian American to win the Miss USA title. Now a 28-year-old model and fashion designer who owns a sustainable fashion label R’Bonney Nova, Gabriel was born in San Antonio, Texas, to a Filipino father and an American mother. Gabriel has always embraced her mixed heritage. She told ABC News, “My dad moved to America from the Philippines on […]

A Cup of Tea with Boston Chai Party

Vishal Thapar learned early in his career about the importance of back-up plans. It was the early 2000s, and the future entrepreneur and co-founder of Boston Chai Party had recently graduated from Punjab Engineering College in India with a degree in computer science. Life was pretty good: he’d been offered a job by an American company based in Pittsburgh, and was planning to move to the U.S. as soon as the company sent him a plane ticket. Visa in hand […]

A Sneak Peek at the Boston Asian American Film Festival

ArtsEmerson is leading the way as documentaries, narratives and short films abound in this year’s line-up for the Boston Asian American Film Festival. The director of the festival, Susan Chinsen, and the director and co-director of one of the films were able to give some insight into the stories present and the work behind it. The festival has two formats with different films. Susan Chinsen commented that, with the surprise of COVID, another way to interact and be a part […]

Protecting Women, Combatting Misinformation

During this time of division, Massachusetts has chosen to serve as a state which will support women’s rights to abortion, alongside New York, California, Washington, and others. However, not everyone in the state has the same opinion. Misinformation is being spread about abortion to try and prevent people from going ahead with these procedures. For Massachusetts to become a haven for women, it is vitally important for the state to grant straightforward protection for people in need of abortions and […]

QArts Gallery is Quincy’s Loving Nod to Art and the Artist

The QArts Gallery celebrates its first anniversary this month and this reporter had the pleasure of speaking with Linda Santoro, their Program and Outreach Coordinator.   Linda described that their first exhibit was only one year ago this month. It was a members’ show featuring over 100 pieces of artwork in all mediums. “Today, our members continue to from all ethnic backgrounds, and they display their work based on those origins as well as trying new techniques as they grow,” […]

Harvard Square Celebrates Its First Filipino American Festival

In celebration of Filipino American History Month, the Harvard Square Philippine Alliance (HSPA), collaborating with the Philippine Consulate General in New York, held the first Filipino American Festival on October 9, 2022 at Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, coinciding with the 43rd Annual Oktoberfest and Honk Parade. Consul Ricarte Abejuela III headed Consulate delegation, which joined the HSPAA organizers in the nearly two hour long Honk parade starting from Davis Square to Harvard Square. Spectators were entertained by Filipino-American contingents from […]

White House Conference on Hunger and Health: Commitments and Challenges 

On September 28th, the Biden-Harris Administration hosted the second White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. Historically, the first conference on the issues of hunger, nutrition, and health in America took place in 1969, which resulted in the momentous establishment of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and the National School Breakfast and Lunch Program. The support for the second conference can be traced to Massachusetts Congressman James […]

College Closures After COVID: The New Reality

In May 2020, Pine Manor College in Newton, Massachusetts, announced that it would no longer be able to independently open its doors for me the next fall semester. Driven by a lack of enrollment and revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic, the small liberal arts college was forced to make a tough decision. Announcing a $50 million deal with Boston University, Pine Manor College chose to merge with the larger institution, saving its doors from closing once and for all.  This […]

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