

Measles, Once Gone in the U.S., Now Called ‘Canary in Coal Mine’
Massachusetts has had only eight cases total from 2015 till now, with several zero-case years. But with concerns around vaccine skepticism and a surge in measles cases nationwide, some are worried about the potential for this preventable disease and others to make a comeback.
Anna Hu
6 hours ago


In Dense Chinatown, Housing Can Come at Cost of Trees
I n a neighborhood starved of both new affordable housing and greenery, a development project has forced residents and activists to...
Liam Crampton
5 days ago
News Roundup: Nominate a Biz, Filipino Fest, Journey of Light
City Seeks Legacy Business Nominees The City of Boston is seeking applications for the Legacy Business Program, in which the city...
Sampan Editor
5 days ago
Tracy Slater’s ‘Together in Manzanar’ Shows That History Does Repeat Itself, Time and Again
P olitical life in these United States since January 20th has proved conclusively that nothing really happens by random chaos. There is...
Christopher John Stephens
5 days ago


Education in Activism
Most people know Suzanne Lee for two things: her career in the Boston Public Schools system, and her work building organizations in Chinatown. Today, she is the president emeritus of the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA), board president of the Chinatown Community Land Trust, and a well-recognized and -loved leader in the community.
Here is her story.
Doris Yu
Sep 17


Docs at Boston Rally Call for Solidarity With Palestinian Healthcare Workers
Dr. Yipeng Ge was one of several healthcare professionals who spoke in solidarity with Palestinian medical workers at a rally on Sept. 14 called “The People’s Prescription: Healthcare Workers & Allies Rally for Gaza.”
Adam Smith
Sep 16


Hugo Nakashima-Brown Joins History and Innovation
Boston-based furniture artist draws from classical Chinese designs, tradition and craftsmanship F or wood sculptor Hugo Nakashima-Brown ,...
Adam Smith
Sep 14


Kristina Wong’s Hunger for Change: ‘#FoodBankInfluencer’ comedian on pranks, activism & economic injustice
Courtesy photo: #FoodBankInfluencer J ust minutes into an interview with comedian and activist Kristina Wong about her upcoming Boston...
Adam Smith
Sep 5


Branches of Hope, Roots of Trauma: 80 years on, survivors, academics and artists ask: What have we learned from the atomic bombing of Japan?
Cannon Hersey speaks at 'Branches of Hope'. Photo by Adam Smith. A small Japanese woman with thin wire-framed glasses appeared on...
Anna Hu
Sep 5
Community Health Workers Are Here to Help. Now Let’s Step Up to Help Them Out
A cross Massachusetts, Community Health Workers (CHWs) are often the first people families turn to in times of crisis. Whether someone is...
Colleen M Nguyen
Sep 5


Kitchen by Day, Easel By Night: Kuang Ching Mei was born into the Chinese revolution and toiled away at Quincy’s Chinese restaurants. But he never gave up his passion for painting.
A fter moving to the United States with his family in the 1980s, Kuang Ching Mei led a life like so many of his peers of his time. Born ...
Adam Smith
Sep 5


Athenaeum Gives Peek Into China Trade Past
Boston Athenaeum; photo by Adam Smith I f you were a big deal in Boston back in the 1850s, there’s a good chance you owned a work by the...
Adam Smith
Sep 5


Don’t Let the ‘Immigration’ Police State Become Normal
T he news can seem overwhelming. A former seasonal police officer in Maine is left to “self deport” after getting detained by immigration...
Editorial
Sep 5


A Century of Serving Others - At 101, Amy Guen reflects on her role in founding a key Chinatown social agency, and her own grandfather’s legacy
Photo Credit by Adam Smith Amy Guen has been interviewed enough times to know how the process works. Sitting at Jiangnan, a Chinese...
Esther Wang
Aug 22


Chinatown School Faces Changing Times - For decades, Josiah Quincy was seen as a cultural resource for Boston. Now, new city policies and demographic shifts are limiting who can access the institution
Photo credit by Adam Smith The Josiah Quincy Elementary School has been a core part of the Chinatown community since its modern iteration...
Liam Crampton
Aug 22


Iskwelahang Pilipino at Lowell Fest Offers Taste of Philippines
Photo Credit by Liam Crampton For one weekend a year, in downtown Lowell, the second-largest free cultural folk festival in America takes...
Liam Crampton
Aug 22
Editorial: Stop the Cycle of Othering
You could think of the past couple years as one of time’s many tests for humanity — similar to that of the atomic bombings of eight...
Adam Smith
Aug 22
News Roundup: Film Showings, Development Meeting
‘Reconnecting Chinatown’ Join architects, landscape architects, engineers and city officials to discuss the potential development of...
Sampan Correspondents
Aug 22


Nguyen’s Intense ‘To Save and to Destroy’ Essays Find Voice Within the Empire
The legendary 19th-century poet Arthur Rimbaud wrote for only five years, quit by the time he was 21, but left us with one of the more...


Japanese Temple Offers Enlightenment in Darkness - With strong influences from old China, sprawling Zentsuji temple on Shikoku island connects visitors with the past and themselves
Photo Credit by Adam Smith Grown men are not supposed to be afraid of the dark. But I suddenly felt a sense of nagging fear as I was...
Adam Smith
Aug 22