Boston

October 7, 2022 0

Mass. Bill Aims to Improve System to Track Hate Crimes

As the rate of reported hate crimes increases across the country, a bill to require Massachusetts law enforcement agencies and communities to report Hate Crime incidents is currently under study by the state legislature. The Massachusetts Hate Crimes Reporting Act was originally introduced in late March of 2021 to advance and change the current hate crime reporting practices which are informal and unevenly enforced. The proposed bill is currently being put on a study order for further review by the […]

September 16, 2022 0

The Orange Line: Ready by September 19???

by Aidan O'Mara Schwartz

This reporter attended a September 12, 2022 virtual media roundtable for the immigrant-serving community during which MOIA (The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Advancement), BPHC (Boston Public Health Commission), the Streets Cabinet and the MBTA made themselves available for questions. As public transit commuters know, the entire Orange line and parts of the Green and Blue lines are currently not operating because of long needed emergency repairs to address structural issues, track issues and signaling issues. This shutdown has been impacting […]

September 7, 2022 0

A Bridge Towards Tomorrow: Sampan speaks with Monique Tú Nguyen – Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement

by Christopher John Stephens

Government policies and mission statements are always driven by terms and phrases. Whether they exist beyond looking good on paper and sounding strong in stump speeches is the dream that isn’t always realized. For Boston’s MOIA (Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Advancement), the driving motivation rests in that final word: advancement. What does it mean? How is it measured? Can immigrants advance without successfully integrating themselves within the social fabric of their chosen land? What measures need to be taken in […]

September 4, 2022 0

Lantern Stories, by Yu-Wen Lu, at Chinatown’s Chin Park, Boston, MA. August 2022

by Sampan Staff

The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy recently re-installed Lantern Stories in Chinatown’s Chin Park. It’s by Taiwan native and Boston-based interdisciplinary artist Yu-Wen Wu. While its first iteration in 2020 was embraced by the community, it faced COVID-19 restrictions. With this new iteration, Wu created new images that evoked the reality of exclusion acts and racial hatred and the necessity of unity and cohesion. This 2022 version of Lantern Stories also features contributions from other local artists. Wu’s themes cover migration, displacement, arrival, assimilation, and […]

September 2, 2022 0

Unprecedented T Shutdowns: Finding Alternative Public Transport

by Kristen Si

Since August 19th, the T’s Orange Line has faced the beginning of its unprecedented month-long shutdown in service. This disruption has since been followed by the closure of Green Line stops north of Government Center, with neither shutdown being lifted until September 18th. Even with the Orange Line opening up on September 18th, there seems to be little reprieve from T shutdowns. The Green Line has been undergoing the Green Line Train Protection System (GLTPS) renovation this summer, with tracks […]

August 25, 2022 0

A preview of Chinatown’s Films at the Gate Festival

by Sonia Cavazos

The Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC) is bringing the community together in Chinatown on Friday, August 26th through August 28th with the riveting Films at the Gate Festival. This reporter spoke recently with ACDC’s Director of Development and Communications Christine Nguyen about the festival’s origins and what people can expect this year. CHRISTINE NGUYEN: This year is the 16th iteration of the festival; we took a break in 2020. I wasn’t involved at the very beginning, but it was a […]

close up photo of a rat trapped inside the cage

August 24, 2022 0

Boston’s response to the rat crisis has been Inadequate

by Sandy Battulga

Boston is currently battling against a swelling number of rats residing in the city. Due to the closure of multiple restaurants and businesses as a result of the pandemic, rats are migrating into residential areas of the city in search of new food sources. According to the data collected from Boston’s 311 app, which is used to report rat sightings, rat and rodent-related complaints increased by 48% from 2019 to 2021. Rats pose a public health issue as the Norwegian rat, the most common species in Boston, can spread diseases such […]

August 23, 2022 0

Complaints about the T: Sampan readers speak Out

by Christopher John Stephens

We hit the streets this week to ask readers how they are coping (and will continue to cope) with the ongoing Green Line problems and the unprecedented month long shut down of the Orange Line starting August 19. Mayor Wu has pledged to make all the Boston blue bikes free for the duration of the shutdown. Extra shuttle buses will clog the streets to assist Orange Line riders coming in and out of the city, and the lucky few who […]

August 20, 2022 0

CCBA Presents the 52nd Annual Chinatown August Moon Festival

by Sampan Staff

Photos from the 52nd Annual August Moon Festival, August 14, 2022 at Phillips Square in Chinatown, sponsored by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England. Boston officials, including Mayor Michelle Wu and Police Superintendent James K. Chin, along with the New England Kung Fu Dance Association and the Boston Chinese Folk dance group, welcomed the coming fall season with a festival of joy and health. From all of us here at Sampan to all of you in Boston and beyond, best […]

August 19, 2022 0

The Games go on: 77 Years of Chinese American Volleyball

by Christopher John Stephens

Sampan talks with Dr. Bobby Guen of the North American Chinese Invitational Volleyball Tournament ahead of Sept. 3-5 event. Nearly a century ago, the Immigration Act of 1924 had basically shut down immigration from Asia to the United States. No Asians were eligible for citizenship and those who were in the U.S. could neither enter nor leave the country. By the late 1930s, the only thing a typical Chinese laborer — mostly in laundry or restaurants — in Chinatown could […]

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