History

December 20, 2024 0

Holistic Approach Needed to Heal: Refugee Trauma Doctor

Dr. Lin Piwowarczyk, co-founder of the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights, has been working with torture victims and refugees for over 30 years. Specializing in the mental health evaluation and treatment of refugees and survivors of torture, she is currently the principal investigator for an Office of Refugee Resettlement grant addressing the holistic treatment of torture survivors. She spoke to Sampan at length about her life, her work, and what we can all do to protect human […]

December 6, 2024 0

Korematsu’s Daughter Says Battle for Justice Now More Relevant Than Ever

by Adam Smith

At just 23 years old, Fred Korematsu would face the fight of his life: He stood up for his rights as an American citizen, refusing to report to incarceration camps for Japanese Americans during the second world war. He was then arrested and convicted for his defiance. He appealed in the following years, and his case went before the Supreme Court in 1944. The court ruled against him, calling his incarceration a military necessity. Today, his family members say, Korematsu’s […]

November 22, 2024 0

The Suppressed Speech of Wamsutta (Frank B.) James

by Editorial Team

Editor’s note: The following is being reprinted with permission for two reasons. One, in honor of Native American Heritage Month, and, two, as a celebration of free speech and the right to freedom of expression and thought. The speech was to have been delivered at Plymouth in 1970. Three hundred fifty years after the Pilgrims began their invasion of the land of the Wampanoag, their “American” descendants planned an anniversary celebration. Still clinging to the white schoolbook myth of friendly […]

October 11, 2024 0

Filipino Festival Serves Up Flavors,Memories of Home

by Ava Belchez

Mary Crown – who moved from the Philippines to Boston two decades ago – stood amid the chatter of Tagalog and English, the smell of barbecuing pork, and the voice of America’s Got Talent semi-finalist Roland Abante singing “Dynamite.” “I’ve never seen so many Filipinos,” she joked. Crown was among the throngs gathered at the Church Street parking lot in Cambridge for the 3rd Annual Filipino American Festival on Oct. 6. The event was organized by the Harvard Square Philippine […]

August 23, 2024 0

Chinatown Bakeries Keep August Moon Tradition Alive

by DongDong Yang

The mid-autumn festival, also known as the August Moon festival, is often celebrated with mooncakes – round pastries with sweet or savory fillings that symbolize the full moon. But the tradition of hand crafting the delicacy is slowly changing, say some pastry chefs, who are keeping the tradition alive locally.“The most difficult part of making mooncakes is cooking the syrup, which needs to be prepared a month in advance. It’s a very skillful process. Traditional hand-made mooncakes are the most […]

July 12, 2024 0

Supreme Court Ruling Has Links to U.S.’ ‘Racist’ Past, Say Advocates

by Adam Smith

A recent Supreme Court ruling that could influence the lives of thousands of people seeking immigration to the U.S. via consular offices gives renewed life to legal precedents built on anti-Asian discrimination of the 1800s, say advocates and legal experts. The case, decided late last month, was “Department of State v. Muñoz.” It centers on a U.S. citizen’s years’ long attempts to sponsor her husband from El Salvador to live with her and their child. A consular official denied their […]

May 24, 2024 0

Hub Music Group Celebrates ‘Chinese Arts and Culture’ Boston Festival Orchestra Conductor Tells of show, group’s history

by Harmony Witte

Sampan sat down with the conductor of the Boston Festival Orchestra, Alyssa Wang. Wang discussed the orchestra’s upcoming program, “A Celebration of Chinese Arts and Culture,” as well as her thoughts on inclusion and engagement in music, and what it means to her to be leading the performance as a Chinese American. BFO’s “A Celebration of Chinese Arts and Culture” will be held on July 28, 3 p.m., at Jordan Hall in Boston.Tickets can be purchased at: bforchestra.ticketleap.com/scheherazade/Sampan: Will you […]

April 26, 2024 0

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

by Tony Le

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 […]

June 24, 2023 0

Juneteenth: A Time for America to Celebrate and Repair

by Sampan Staff

Editor’s Note: Monday, June 19th marked the third annual Massachusetts recognition of Juneteenth as a national and state holiday. This year, only 28 states and the District of Columbia will legally recognize it as a public holiday. In Montana, Arizona, North Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina, Vermont, New Hampshire, Alaska and Hawaii it remained unrecognized as a permanent holiday. Juneteenth is a floating holiday in California, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, with some state government workers […]

June 24, 2023 0

The Anticipation of an Executive Apology to Chinese Americans for the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

by Alina Chaudhri

With Biden’s presidency still having another year and a half to go, there are many possibilities for change in policy and public statements. Although he has not lifted the confiscation of visas that would be given to Chinese students with pasts in Chinese military involvements, the President’s positive endeavors at improving the immigration system support an executive apology for the Chinese Exclusion Act being in line with the President’s values and goals. With the legislative branch having already apologized for […]

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