Press Releases

March 25, 2023 0

Through Farsi, Iranian-American Grocer and Newly Settled Afghan Refugees in Belmont Find Common Ground

Zohreh Beheshti, an Iranian immigrant who came to the United States in 1998, has become a success story in the Massachusetts town of Belmont. She runs Super Vanak, a small grocery store she started with her husband in March 2021. She said she opened the store because there were no other Iranian grocer nearby to serve the large Iranian population who want to get food from their homeland. What she did not anticipate was the number of Afghan immigrants from […]

March 11, 2023 0

What is the Solution to America’s Mass Shootings Culture?

by Kristen Si

Fresh in the minds of many Americans is the Monterey Park Lunar New Year shooting this past February 2023 which took the lives of 11 people within a tight-knit community made up of mostly first generation Chinese immigrants. The 72-year-old shooter used a semiautomatic pistol to shoot into a dance hall on the night of a Lunar New Year celebration before being chased by police and ending his own life. What was a lively celebration turned into a site for […]

March 11, 2023 0

The Bipartisan Effort to Add the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution

by Sonia Cavazos

Congresswomen and men, both senators and representatives are working on a bi-partisan effort to add the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution. Congresswomen such as Ayanna Pressley, Sylvia Garcia, Abigail Spanberger, Cori Bush, Madeleine Dean, and Sydney Kamlager-Dove, along with U.S. Senators Ben Cardin, Lisa Murkowski, Dick Durbin, and Mazie Hirono announced a resolution put forth by the Senate and House of Representatives late last month to help breach the barrier that has been preventing the ERA from appearing in […]

March 11, 2023 0

We Are On The Brink of a Water Catastrophe…….Facing this Crisis Together

by Chetanprett Singh

I recently read a piece by Aryn Baker in Time magazine from Cape Town, South Africa where they are facing acute water scarcity. I read it and sighed, “It sounds horrible, but I am here in the U.S. — shouldn’t bother me, I have enough water and electricity and the Internet of course, but I do sympathize.” Aryn writes: “I’m sure I can handle 6.6 gallons of water a day. I’m already down to two showers a week, and my daughter would go […]

March 11, 2023 0

Anti-Asian Racism: The Significant Toll on US Economy and DEI Commitment

by Bolin Shen

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Asians and people of Asian descent have been targets of slandering language in media articles, political rhetoric, and social media alike. Negative attitudes were exacerbated by former President Donald Trump, who blamed the outbreak on China and referred to it as the “kung flu” or the “Chinese virus.” AAPI Data and Momentive, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Center for Public Integrity reported anti-Asian violence and racism dramatically spiked in the past […]

February 24, 2023 0

Mayor Wu’s Rent Stabilization Effort Draws Praise, Criticism

by Kristen Si

In a city synonymous with high housing costs, residents of Boston have long dealt with the soaring cost of rent. In fact, for the past several years, Zillow has listed Boston as one of the top 5 most expensive rental markets in the nation. A recent 2022 report by the Greater Boston Association of Realtors’ showed that between 2019 and 2022, is the same time for the median cost of a single-family home rose by 26%. In the face of […]

February 24, 2023 0

Political Leaders, Activists Seek to Strengthen White House Asian American Initiative

by Sonia Cavazos

As the threat of the Covid-19 has receded, the threat of anti-Asian bias still remains in the U.S. But many activists and politicians are working to finding ways to stand up against the discrimination. And some are pointing to an executive order dating back decades. In 1999, President Bill Clinton signed an executive order, effectively creating The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANAPI). President Biden has now recently worked to expand upon the initiative. […]

a police car parked beside the crime scene

February 12, 2023 0

The Death of Tyre Nichols: Consequences Continue for Memphis Police and America

by Jeff Millman

Following the firing and charging of five Memphis police officers for their role in the death of Tyre Nichols last month, a sixth officer involved has also been fired for violating multiple department policies. Internal police investigations are ongoing to determine further culpability in Nichols’ death, which has tragically resumed a national conversation about the relationships between police officers and the communities they work in. Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was stopped by the Memphis police on the night of […]

February 11, 2023 0

Lunar New Year Celebrations Marred by Mass Shootings in California

by Jeff Millman

Late on the eve of Lunar New Year in Monterey Park, California, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran shot and killed 11 people and injured 9 others at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio. Just two days later, on the afternoon of January 23, 66-year-old Chunli Zhao shot and killed 7 people and wounded 1 other person at two farms in Half Moon Bay, California. Though they occurred nearly 400 miles from each other, the shootings were strangely similar: both were committed by […]

November 4, 2022 0

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

by Yiwei Zhao

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 […]

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