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Sampan chats with Vietnamese American Artist Ngoc-Tran Vu about Little Saigon, art, and history

As Islamophobia takes toll on many American Muslims, CAIR attorneys see time of worry...and hope

Forces are hard at work trying to spread fear of the other. These forces, whether they be from elected officials in high places — the president, congressmen, governors — or lurking in online forums in the “Bluest” cities and towns in Massachusetts can have real consequences for people just trying to live their lives. People can face unnecessary investigation, be detained and face threat of deportation, or miss opportunities they are entitled to, like access to good housing or

A group of area artists and historians are planning to connect the dots between historic places around Boston and their direct link to Chinatown today. “I think what this exhibition is trying to do is offer a space for us to remember who are the people who came before us — especially thinking about Chinatown’s history and memories,” said theater artist Wenxuan Xue, a co-curator for the diverse exhibit, “Temple of Our Ancestral Dreams” hosted by the Pao Arts Center from April

I n his 1934 book In Praise of Shadows, author Jun'ichirō Tanizaki writes, “Our ancestors, forced to live in dark rooms, presently came to discover beauty in shadows.” For Yng-Ru Chen, Tanizaki’s words inspired her to establish her art gallery, Praise Shadows. They served as “the basis to form my own thoughts about opportunities for artists,” Chen said. “I recognized the many needs my artist friends had.” Much as how Tanizaki saw beauty in the shadows, Praise Shadows looked f

From Arlette Liwer: Y our recent editorial titled, “What Would Chiune Sugihara Do?” invokes the story of the Japanese diplomat who issued transit visas to Jewish refugees in Kaunas in 1940, a history that directly affected my own family. Sugihara’s actions remain an extraordinary example of moral courage during one of history’s darkest moments. For that reason, his story deserves to be presented with care and historical accuracy. The editorial states that Sugihara issued visa

The exhibit “Busing the Buffer Zone” uses art and theater to explore the experience of Chinatown mothers who boycotted busing of students in Boston Public Schools in 1975. The exhibition, which includes a play by Christina R. Chan and an exhibition at the Pao Arts Center, runs through March 28. The stage readings are slated for March 28 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Pao Arts Center. An open rehearsal is March 20.

As World Tuberculosis Day approaches on March 24, Sampan is spreading the word about this sometimes fatal disease. We recently spoke with Dr. Tine Vindenes, chief of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Tufts Medical Center. Dr. Vindenes also co-directs the Tuberculosis Clinic at Tufts.

T hrough the smoke and gasoline of the literal fires that raged through cities like Washington, DC, and Atlanta as a result of the civil unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s May 25th 2020 murder at the literal knee of state-sanctioned legal justice, and through the similar apocalyptic scenes that have hit Minneapolis (in 2020 and 2026) and Los Angeles in the midst of an occupation by federal agents, we hear voices and see faces. The revolution is being televised. Truth is out

Chiune Sugihara defied orders from Tokyo and in an elaborate scheme he issued as many visas as his tired hands could stamp to allow refugees a shot at escape.

Tufts Medical Center has awarded more than $1.7 million in grants to nine Boston-based nonprofit organizations, including several in Chinatown. The medical center says the grants will be used over three years to address “unmet” health and health access needs that were highlighted in its 2026-2028 Community Health Needs Assessment. Through the grants, the community groups will support culturally competent behavioral health, social-emotional wellness, and substance use disorder

Advocates say 'Operation Catch of the Day' caused lasting trauma and fear for many in Maine's minority and immigrant communities.

At the Josiah Quincy Elementary and Upper Schools located in the heart of Chinatown, Bak-Fun Wong is known as a “living legend.”

he permanent exhibit, “Reclaiming History — A Journey Through Three Neighborhoods,” will officially open at the Josiah Quincy Upper School on April 27.

Part library, part cultural center and part hangout, group says it is for all A fter feeling burnt out from her job as a software engineer a few years ago, Emily Goroza decided that she needed a change. At the same time, she realized how privileged she was to work in the corporate world. Then it struck her: She wanted to find a way to work that also allowed her to give back to the community. So, in 2023, Goroza, alongside a close friend and her now fiancé, started Panethnic P

Playwright Stan Lai talks with Sampan.

In Copley Square, in front of the Boston Public Library, several hundred people formed a human chain in 10-degree temperatures on a recent Saturday afternoon, clasping gloved hands as they tried to keep the line unbroken and visible from a distance. Up close, however, the solidarity the chain was meant to project remains fractured over a fundamental question: Who, if anyone, should speak for a revolution?

Interview with Julie Masis, author of "How My Grandfather Stole a Shoe and Survived the Holocaust in Ukraine."

As we begin the new year, Sampan will run an occasional series of pieces reflecting on literature that has influenced who we were, who we are now, and who we might become as Americans. On July 4, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. For the purposes of this series, the notion of “literature” include foundational political texts, those that established who we would be as a nation, and those that serve to challenge what we have become.

Hamilton, presented by Broadway in Boston recently at Citizens Opera House, brought the full vigor and verve that has made playwright Lin Manuel-Miranda’s hit musical so beloved over the last decade. Meticulously researched and rooted in Ron Chernow’s biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, the musical Hamilton brings to life the rise of this flawed, accomplished figure with an iconic musical score blending hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and Broadway.