June 6, 2025 | Vol. 54, Issue 11

The only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England

Boston

We Must Guard Our Rights to Free Speech and Dissent

This election has been portrayed as critical for the future of our democracy. But a key part of that democracy, our First Amendment rights, will no doubt remain under attack – no matter who wins. Republican candidate and former president, Donald Trump, openly threatens those who do not agree with him. At the same time, vice president and Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris – and Pres. Joe Biden – are guilty of doing little to protect the rights of those who […]

Sampan Readers Give Their Take on Key Election Issues

It’s been over 30 years since famed Democratic strategist James Carville tried to provide a pithy summary to all that concerned the American voting public: “It’s the economy, stupid.” Carville’s way with a slogan helped his candidate Bill Clinton start the first of two terms as president of the United States. Carville remained a feisty political strategist in the decades that followed, and Clinton weathered a notorious sex scandal in his second term that led to his impeachment. By the […]

Gov’s Emergency Gun Rule Triggers Debate Around Second Amendment Rights in State

Gov. Maura Healey signed an emergency preamble early this month that effectively put a new gun law into immediate effect, expanding Massachusetts’ preexisting firearms regulations—already some of the strictest in the country. The move will crack down on private-made “ghost guns”; criminalize possession of “bump stocks” and trigger cranks; require a gun license for live-fire training; prohibit people outside of law enforcement from carrying guns at schools, polling places, and government buildings; ban the possession, transfer, and sale of assault […]

Warmer World Brings Dengue Close to Home

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning that after years of climate change, the global incidence of dengue fever has reached a record peak this year – reaching several parts of the U.S.In a recent Health Alert Network Health Advisory, the CDC reported that nearly 9.7 million dengue cases were spotted in the Americas for the first half of 2024, double the number of cases in 2023. According to the Pan American Health Organization, Latin America is experiencing […]

Filipino Festival Serves Up Flavors,Memories of Home

Mary Crown – who moved from the Philippines to Boston two decades ago – stood amid the chatter of Tagalog and English, the smell of barbecuing pork, and the voice of America’s Got Talent semi-finalist Roland Abante singing “Dynamite.” “I’ve never seen so many Filipinos,” she joked. Crown was among the throngs gathered at the Church Street parking lot in Cambridge for the 3rd Annual Filipino American Festival on Oct. 6. The event was organized by the Harvard Square Philippine […]

Tribute: Boston Ballet’s DePrince Remembered as ‘Truly Inspiring’

Michaela Mabinty DePrince, a former dancer for the prestigious Boston Ballet and a champion for diversity in the arts, passed away at age 29 on Sept. 10. DePrince was an inspiration to countless dancers and artists around the world for her exceptional work both on and off the stage. “I personally felt Michaela was a beautiful dancer and truly inspiring in her ability to break through glass ceilings,” Beth Mochizuki, artistic director at the Asian American Ballet Project, told the […]

For Families With No College Education, B.C.’s Messina School Offers a First Shot

At Messina College, a new branch of Boston College, students have the chance to be the first in their family to graduate college. Arielys Lugo, 18, is one such student who’s a member of the inaugural class that started earlier this summer. Messina “was everything I wanted in one school,” Lugo told the Sampan, during a recent visit to the college at its leafy Brookline campus. “I didn’t really know if I wanted to be in a four-year school, so […]

BU. Photo by Adam Smith.

Fewer Minority Students FillHub’s Higher Education Seats

In the first school year since a United States Supreme Court ruling effectively ended affirmative action admissions policies, we’re already seeing shifts in who’s filling classrooms in colleges and universities in the Boston area. Following the six-to-three ruling, advocates of affirmative action feared that the proportion of minorities admitted into colleges and universities would fall, cutting off educational opportunities to those who need them the most. In addition Sampan interviewed and surveyed many area students who expressed dismay at the […]

Bias Against Muslims, Palestinians Permeate Press: Rights Advocate

The contrasts in the headlines were striking. Projected on a screen were copies of online stories from The New York Times and the BBC News, both covering killings in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Israeli bombings of Palestinians in Gaza.Pointing out the differences in the treatments, Hena Zuberi of the nonprofit human rights group, Justice For All, noted how in one set of headlines, the group carrying out deadly attacks, Israel, goes unnamed, and in the other, the […]

Dorchester Art Project Set to Honor Vietnamese Diaspora

An art project by a group of Vietnamese Americans in Dorchester will complement a proposed Vietnamese diaspora memorial and aim to become a permanent presence in Boston, say organizers.The “Trưng Bày Mẫu Thiết Kế” show debuts on Sept. 14, from noon to 3 p.m. at the VietAID Community Center at 42 Charles St. in Dorchester, as part of the “1975: A Vietnamese Diaspora Memorial.” The exhibit is lead by artist Ngoc-Tran Vu. “This design showcase is an inclusive and accessible […]

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