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June 9, 2023 0

Cambridge Expands Direct-Payment Program for Low-Income Residents

In 2021, the city of Cambridge spent $1.5 million on a guaranteed-income program for low-income residents. 130 eligible households received $500 a month for 18 months, with no requirements for what the money could be spent on. In May 2023, Cambridge announced the program would be expanded. Using $22 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, the city is starting the Rise Up Cambridge program, which will allow hundreds more eligible, low-income households to receive direct cash payments. This […]

June 9, 2023 0

The Future of ChatGPT Regulation

by Kristen Si

If you’ve been on the internet recently, you most likely have heard of ChatGPT – a new AI natural language processing tool which has gained significant public traction over the past several months. The chatbot was developed by OpenAI, a startup founded in 2015 by Elon Musk and Sam Altman. Released on November 30, 2022, ChatGPT is capable of everything from returning human-like conversational responses to generating a resume to even writing software on its own. ChatGPT is able to […]

June 9, 2023 0

Immigrants and Their Stories: Meet Rita from Myanmar

by Mary Wong-Sommer

In this series, we interview new immigrants to the U.S. to hear their stories, struggles and dream. Here, we speak with Rita (her name has been changed) from Myanmar. Rita never thought she would leave Burma. Over six years, she had built up her own, successful, catering company with 20 employees. Her customers included many international nonprofits and Rita loved what she was doing. Now in her early forties, she finds herself in America, beginning a new life with her family […]

June 9, 2023 0

In Memory of Former South Cove Community Health Center Director Eugene Welch

by Aili Liu

Editor’s Note: Eugene Welch, CEO/Executive Director of South Cove Community Health Center for 23 years until his 2022 retirement, passed away Monday May 29 at the age of 78. Sampan is re-printing our October 2022 Eugene Welch profile/interview. We asked Eric Tiberi, SCCHC’s new CEO/Executive Director, for a few words about Mr. Welch’s legacy and the future of the Center going forward. Eugene Welch was a mentor, friend, and supporter to all of us at South Cove Community Health Center. He had an […]

May 27, 2023 0

Tufts University Organizes Chinatown Neighborhood Spring Cleanup

by guest

On Wednesday, May 10, Tufts University hosted its 3rd annual Cherish Chinatown Cleanup, a spring neighborhood cleanup in Boston’s Chinatown, the home of the university’s Health Sciences Campus. Over one hundred Tufts students, faculty, and staff volunteers participated in the effort, picking up trash, working on landscaping projects and cleaning up sidewalks, all while learning more about the neighborhood and ways to continue or begin involvement with local nonprofit community partners. With the support of Tufts University’s office of Government and […]

May 27, 2023 0

Preventing a Global Water Catastrophe- One Drop at a Time

by Chetanprett Singh

The earth’s demand for fresh water will outstrip supply by 40% in 2030. This warning comes from The Global Commission on the Economics of Water as we continue to consume water without caution. The World Meteorological Organization also reported in November 2022 that “climate-related shortages in water resources could affect two thirds of the world’s population by midcentury. Complicating these frightening predictions is the fact that extreme rainfalls and flooding are among the consequences of global warming that will likely […]

May 27, 2023 0

Resilience and Beyond: Asian American Film Festival on GBH World

by Sonia Cavazos

GBH WORLD has created a lineup of films in honor of AAPI slated for the entire month of May. There will be a total of four programs on WORLD; three will be full-length documentaries, and seven short films titled, Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond. The intersection of recognizing emerging filmmakers from different backgrounds while highlighting diversity and culture is something that GBH WORLD takes pride in. GBH’s General Manager for Television, Liz Cheng discussed the return to the […]

May 27, 2023 0

Chinatown Needs Green Space Now

by Lydia Lowe

Boston’s first Urban Renewal Project, bulldozing the New York Streets neighborhood, resulted in decades of injustice for Chinatown and other working class neighborhoods, particularly communities of color and immigrants. After more than three hundred buildings were razed, Chinatown’s land was turned over to construction of the Central Artery in 1954 (“Interstate 93”) and the Massachusetts Turnpike Extension in 1963 (“Interstate 90”), truncating a vibrant family neighborhood at its southern and eastern ends. Throughout highway construction, institutional expansion, then downtown revitalization, […]

May 27, 2023 0

When Autism Gets Lost in Translation

by Sonia Cavazos

Learning that your child is on the autism spectrum is often like being dropped into a big black hole. There is no clear test for autism — no X-ray or scan — and much is left to interpretation. The signs are often vague, especially in young children, who might learn to talk or pick up social skills younger or later than their peers. Just getting the right specialists to see your child can take many months. For children of immigrant […]

May 27, 2023 0

Asian Hate in Boston: The Struggle for Justice Continues

by Christopher John Stephens

The problem of Asian hate crimes in Boston and surrounding neighborhoods was the topic of a May 8 forum at the Asian American Civic Association. In attendance and speaking were City Council President Ed Flynn, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement Monique Tú Nguyen, Executive Director of Lawyers for Civil Rights Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, Boston Police Community Service Office Sgt. Paul Chevette, MBTA Transit Police Crime Investigation Sgt. Joseph Sacco, and Boston’s Senior Advisor for Community Safety Isaac […]

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