June 6, 2025 | Vol. 54, Issue 11

The only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England

Top News

U.S. Lawmakers Put Asian American History to the Test

Measure would put Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian lessons in nation’s classrooms Two U.S. lawmakers have introduced a measure they say would help better educate U.S. students about the key moments and historical realities of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islander Americans that are often overlooked in U.S. classrooms and textbooks. “At a time when Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history is under attack, it is more important than ever before to ensure our stories […]

'They All Have Names' vigil held May 27 to May 28 recognized the names of the more than 17,400 children killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. Courtesy photo.

OPINION: ‘They All Have Names’ Vigil Reveals Moral Failures

As Dr. Lara Jirmanus spoke with the Sampan on the phone on May 28, a scan of the top stories on local newspaper sites around Boston revealed reports about the Karen Read case, the latest in the battle between Harvard University and the Trump administration, and immigration raids. What was missing? The 24-hour vigil that just concluded hours earlier in Cambridge, recognizing the more than 17,400 children killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. That number, for context, is far […]

Some Hong Kong, Chinese Students Say Visa Crackdowns Have Them Exploring Options

First there were the threats of crackdowns on immigration. Then there were the detentions of international students who had done nothing wrong. Then the deletion of many student visas and then … their reinstatements … for now. Amid those actions, a U.S. lawmaker has been pushing a bill to block Chinese students from coming to the U.S. Now, most recently, the U.S. State Department issued a brief statement on how it would “aggressively” crackdown on some students from China and […]

Crackdown on Students from China Blasted

Several Asian American groups and leaders are blasting a newly revealed State Department policy to prevent many Chinese international students from studying in colleges and universities in the United States. The U.S. State Department on May 28 put out a notice that it “will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.” The department, in the brief note, also said […]

Students and teachers of Boston String Academy. Photos by Adam Smith/ errorc1301.com

On a High Note: Boston String Academy Tunes Into Youth Talent

When sisters Marielisa and Mariesther Alvarez grew up in Venezuela, they were part of El Sistema, the National System for Youth Orchestras and Choirs. But when they came to Boston, they soon discovered a similar program was lacking. “When we came to Boston to do our studies at the Boston Conservatory, we realized that even though it is a culturally rich city, there was the need for a program where creating musical excellence was a communal effort — a program […]

Akiva Leibowitz; Photo by Adam Smith

Opinion: ‘Starts With the Keffiyehs, and Ends With the Pride Flags’

“It starts with the keffiyehs, and ends with the pride flags,” said Dr. Akiva Leibowitz during an interview with Sampan last week. A Brookline resident who has seen firsthand how even his neighbors could attack free speech, the parent was talking about the crackdowns of freedom of expression at every level of society over the past year and a half. Leibowitz, a critical care anesthesiologist, was just weeks earlier vying for a seat in the crowded race for Brookline’s school […]

REVIEW: Beauty and Humanity Permeate Bioh’s ‘Jaja’s African Hair Braiding Salon’

The play Jaja’s African Hair Braiding offers its audience a seat in a Harlem Black hair salon. But the audience will come away with much more than a new style – in fact it might just come away with a deep sense of shared humanity, empathy, and even an immediate fear for the lives of those – so often in the shadows – around them. The immersive play reels the audience in to watch the stylists gossip, roll their eyes […]

Sampan Talks With B.U. Prof. on Hunger Strike Over Canceling of Palestine Speech

Boston University professor Nathan Phillips, who teaches in the Earth and Environment department, began a hunger strike last month over the arrests of Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil and his university’s removal of signs expressing political speech on campus. Sampan reporter Harmony Witte caught up with Phillips shortly after he began his hunger strike in support of free speech. At the time, the professor said he was healthy and alert. Following is an edited version of that conversation. A longer […]

‘She Represents All of Us’: News Legend Connie Chung Shows She Could Tango With Nixon … and Crack a Good Joke

Going to see Connie Chung talk is like going to a stand-up show where the comic also happens to be a famous journalist. The more than 200 audience members who filled the GBH Calderwood Studio for “A Conversation with Connie Chung” this March likely had a good idea of who she is: the first Asian American to anchor a broadcast program in the United States. They might have known that she broke into the industry and pushed her way to […]

BU. Photo by Adam Smith.

These Students Were Sure They’d Study in the U.S. Not Anymore

Sampan’s Hong Kong-based reporter Darren Liu asked several young adults from abroad whether the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants made them think twice about studying in the U.S. That was in mid-March and the views were mixed. Liu recently followed up with the students after several high-profile abductions and detentions of university students and graduates occurred — including many with no criminal charges  —  and student visa cancellations. Here is what these students are thinking now as many have grown more cautious: […]

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