On November 27, 2021, Chinatown said goodbye to Bill Chin, widely known throughout the community as “Uncle Bill”. Born locally in 1929 during the Chinese Exclusion Act, Uncle Bill was always keenly aware of the village that raised him, and lived to improve the quality of life of Chinese immigrants.
New mayor Michelle Wu announced her first cabinet appointments in early November, ahead of her swearing-in ceremony, along with the key players in her transition team as she settles into office. The appointment with the largest spotlight is that of her senior advisor regarding the Mass and Cass public health crisis, Dr. Monica Bharel. Bharel is the former commissioner of the Massachusetts Departments of Public Health (DPH), and will be leading the efforts to help alleviate the ongoing homelessness, substance […]
In an unprecedented election amidst unprecedented times, Michelle Wu, riding a tidal wave of support, defeated at-large city councilor Annissa Essaibi George for the Boston mayoral seat. She will serve as Boston’s first woman of color after being sworn into office on November 16. Born in the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, Wu is the oldest of four children, and the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants. She moved to Boston as a young adult to attend university and Harvard Law School, […]
It’s no secret that Boston is an expensive city in which to live. You may have heard that people should spend no more than 30% of their income on housing though this reference point is widely acknowledged to be decades out of date. The new budgeting guidelines popularized by Sen. Elizabeth Warren in her book All Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan include the 50/30/20 rule. 50% of one’s after-tax income on needs (housing, food, car payments, utilities); 30% […]
On July 19, the Chinatown Neighborhood Council hosted three of the City of Boston mayoral candidates at its meeting. City Councilor Andrea Campbell, City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George, and former Chief of Economic Development, John Barros, joined the council online to talk to council members and field questions. Each candidate had the opportunity to talk about their history and links to the City of Boston, as well as their focus if they were to be elected mayor. Council co-moderator, Sherry […]
On June 8, MBTA announced the Bus Network Redesign plan (BNR) under its “Better Bus Project” to improve the bus service system. The plan marks MBTA’s effort in providing better access to jobs, education, and essential services for the residents of transit-critical communities, such as Roxbury, Everett, Chelsea, Mattapan, and Lynn. As a part of MBTA’s $8-billion, 5-year systemwide capital investment program since 2018, it now claims to deliver a more equitable future of transportation by ameliorating many travel inconveniences […]
In responding to the rising hate crimes against Asian-Americans, over 20 communities across the country organized synchronized #StopAsianHate rallies to call for solidarity. Massachusetts’ gathering began in the Boston Common at 4 p.m. Sunday, attracting hundreds of supporters and residents. The speakers included Mayor Kim Janey, city council member-at-large and mayoral candidate Michelle Wu, city council member of District 2 Ed Flynn, and Chief of Economic Development and mayoral candidate John Barros. The event was started in Emcee Linda Champion’s […]
During the 19th century, the most prevalent occupation for Chinese men who settled in the Boston area was being a laundryman. This was also true for many cities across the country, especially as the Chinese had few available options, being barred from many other occupations. The first Chinese laundry in the U.S. likely opened in San Francisco in 1851, and the first Chinese laundry in Boston, noted as a “California Chinese Laundry,” opened in February 1875 at 299 Tremont Street. […]
(請點這裡閱讀中文版。) While the Greater Boston area has not yet faced any reported violent incidents, the increased frequency of vicious anti-Asian crimes in cities and towns across the United States has left Asian residents around Chinatown Boston in a state of unease. For some, this growing threat unfortunately extends what has already been a long year of isolation and hardship, following on the heels of an already trying pandemic. “They have been staying at home over a year, and they don’t […]
(請點這裡閱讀中文版。) Mayor Kim Janey spoke at her first Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement (MOIA) Media Roundtable since taking office. Janey addressed the vaccination distribution process and recovery from COVID-19, racial equity work, and investment in jobs and small businesses. The event was held on April 15, also known as One Boston Day, commemorating the lives lost in the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013. “Coming out of this pandemic, we know that we cannot go back to normal, particularly when ‘normal’ […]
