History

June 17, 2022 0

Great Replacement Theory: How racist ideology is fueling hate and fear and mass shootings

On May 14, 2022, an 18 year old male traveled four hours to a supermarket in a predominantly African neighborhood and killed ten people. We all want to know the reason, the motive. . No matter how repellent, if a suspected killer leaves 180 pages in the wake of his killings, they must be read to find the answers. Will we find the reasons for the other mass shootings? However much we might want to move beyond these mass shootings […]

June 17, 2022 0

Pride Month 2022 is powered by hard work and commitment

by Sampan Staff

Asian communities around the world are celebrating Pride Month and opening new space for every expression. Pride Month has grown considerably since the early days after the 1969 Stonewall Riots. The Riots gave rise to the Gay Rights Movement. NAAAP Boston has scheduled many events for Pride Month.. Beginning with different perspectives, NAAAP Boston released a collection of first-person narratives coined the “Coming Out Collection”. Honoring Coming Out Day (October 11), each narrative shares a different story about the journey […]

June 17, 2022 0

The Second Juneteenth Holiday in Massachusetts: What does it mean to the general public?

by Max Wei

Sunday, June 19, 2022, will be the second annual Juneteenth Independence Day recognized as a Massachusetts state holiday. On Thursday June 17, 2021, the Juneteenth Day became a federal holiday in the United States when President Joe Biden signed into law a bill passed by Congress. Almost at the same time, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker also officially recognized June 19 as the newest state-recognized holiday. Juneteenth National Independence Day is important to African American in our nation because of the […]

May 24, 2022 0

Chinese Laundry: Personal Stories of Pride and Perseverance

by Chelsea Wang

For first-wave Chinese immigrants in the mid-1800’s, laundries were a primary source of income and a significant part of Chinese-American labor history. Along with construction of the railroads, the laundry business was a mainstay of the Chinese immigrant economy. The Chinese needed to survive in an English-speaking world in which they did not have access to most employment opportunities. The laundries remain a point of shared connection between many Chinese American families today. Thomas Chin’s family worked in their hand […]

May 6, 2022 0

Mother is a verb

by Sampan Staff

Go back to 1870 and read suffragette Julia Ward Howe’s manifesto “The Mother’s Day Proclamation.” It’s an audacious and revolutionary piece of writing that resonates equally with her more popular effort, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” While the Hymn to our Republic has been her primary legacy, its use as both a malevolent threat and inspiring ode to perseverance has weakened its importance. “The Mother’s Day Proclamation” is thrilling, even after 152 years: “Our sons shall not be taken […]

May 6, 2022 0

The First Chinese Restaurants in Springfield

by Richard Auffrey

Although numerous Chinese immigrants settled in the Boston area during the latter part of the 20th century, many others moved to different parts of the state, including Springfield. The Springfield Republican,October 1, 1893, reported that there were about 25 Chinese living in the city, employed in 12 laundries. The article reflected very positively on the Chinese, stating “[the] Chinese as seen in the East are as a class law-abiding and inoffensive. Very seldom is one arrested or complained of for crime, […]

April 27, 2022 0

Yung Wing & the Earliest Chinese Students in Massachusetts

by Richard Auffrey

Springfield was one of the first cities in Massachusetts where Chinese arrived in the 1840s, primarily fueled by the desire for education. The start of this tale though extends back about 30 years earlier. Reverend Samuel Robbins Brown was born in 1810 in Hartford, Connecticut and in 1818, his family moved to Monson, Massachusetts, a relatively short distance from Springfield. Samuel attended the Monson academy, which prepared students for college, and he was part of the Yalecollege class of 1832. Samuel became a missionary […]

April 12, 2022 0

Origins Of The St. Paul Sandwich: A Missouri Invention?

by Richard Auffrey

“The St. Paul Sandwich — comprising an egg foo young patty, slice of tomato, pickle and iceberg lettuce sandwiched between two slices of mayonnaise-laden white bread..”—Riverfront Times, November 15, 2006 If you’ve visited Chinese-American restaurants in St. Louis, Missouri, or some other Missouri cities, you might’ve eaten a St. Paul Sandwich. The origins of this sandwich are murky, but the most commonly shared legend is that it was invented by Steven Yuen at Park Chop Suey in St. Louis, possibly in the 1970s. It’s […]

March 28, 2022 0

Origins of Crab Rangoon

by Richard Auffrey

At most Chinese-American restaurants, you can find Crab Rangoons and they are a hugely popular item. Also known as Crab Puffs, Crab Pillows, and Cheese Wontons, these are essentially fried wontons stuffed with cream cheese and imitation crab (or sometimes real crab). They are crunchy and creamy, and they are prepared nearly the same at every restaurant. When and where did Crab Rangoons originate? Most sources indicate that Crab Rangoons were likely invented by Victor Bergeron, the founder of Trader […]

March 14, 2022 0

Centuries Ago, Many in Boston Saw Chinese Only Through The Lens of Exploitation

by Richard Auffrey

During the 19th century, and even into the early 20th century, it was common for circuses, carnivals and other shows to exploit people with rare disabilities or deformities — and sometimes for just being ethnically different. Two people who became international celebrities in these shows and who toured Boston in the early 1800s were known as “Chang and Eng.” On August 16, 1829, the Sachem, captained by Abel Coffin, sailed into Boston Harbor, bearing with it Chang and Eng, who eventually became known worldwide as the “Siamese […]

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