Massachusetts

woman in park

For labor-trafficked immigrants, T-visas are a lifesaving but flawed relief

The GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting spoke to nearly a dozen people in Massachusetts who say they were victims of forced labor, having to sneak down the back stairs to escape or call 911 for help. An ongoing GBH series on labor trafficking has found that those victims are often overlooked and their abusers go unpunished.

For labor-trafficked immigrants, T-visas are a lifesaving but flawed relief
coach standing and talking

Boston Nigerians watch with pride as Celtics coach Ime Udoka guides team through NBA Finals

Boston Nigerians watch with pride as Celtics coach Ime Udoka guides team through NBA Finals
Prem Pariyar stands in front of Alexander Meiklejohn Hall on the campus of California State University, East Bay.

'Hidden discrimination': California university joins national trend to protect against caste bias on campus

'Hidden discrimination': California university joins national trend to protect against caste bias on campus
A woman gathers her three children around the dinner table.

A long journey from Kabul brings one family to New Bedford

A long journey from Kabul brings one family to New Bedford
A vial of the Moderna vaccine for the coronavirus.

What does Moderna owe the world?

What does Moderna owe the world?
Taiwan-born artist Wen-hao Tien (left) started inviting people from around the world to teach her songs from their homelands as part her exhibit on immigration experiences at an art center in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Learning through singing: This artist wants you to teach her a song in your native language

Is it easier to sing than speak in a foreign language? Taiwan-born artist Wen-hao Tien has put that question to the test as part of a new exhibit about the immigrant experience in Boston, Massachusetts.

Learning through singing: This artist wants you to teach her a song in your native language
Muslims pray in a mosque during celebrations of Eid al-Fitr holiday, a feast celebrated by Muslims worldwide, in Grozny, Russia, on Thursday, May 13, 2021.

The world celebrates Eid — including some of The World’s listeners

We asked The World’s listeners to share what Eid al-Fitr means to them and their families. Here’s what they told us.

The world celebrates Eid — including some of The World’s listeners
A white man wearing a suit talks in a kitchen with Chinese lettering at the bottom of the screenshot.

Amid increasing US-China tensions, humor is serious business

American Jesse Appell’s comedy is part of a long history of cultural diplomacy between the US and China. Musical performances, art exchanges and sports competitions have all helped to strengthen the relationship between the two countries since the early 1970s.

Amid increasing US-China tensions, humor is serious business
Riot police patrol at a shopping mall during a protest after China's parliament passes a national security law for Hong Kong, in Hong Kong, June 30, 2020.

Family of Chinese pro-democracy activist held in secret detention calls for his release

Ding Jiaxi had been on a collision course with the Chinese government perhaps ever since 1989 when he was a college junior in Beijing.

Family of Chinese pro-democracy activist held in secret detention calls for his release
This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2, also known as novel coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the US. Virus particles are shown emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. The spikes

What will a post-coronavirus world look like?

The coronavirus pandemic has been compared to the Great Depression and the Second World War, in terms of the threat it poses to democracy. Geopolitical risk analyst Ian Bremmer doesn’t think the crisis will usher in a new world order, but he believes it will intensify and speed up trends that many have worried about for years.

What will a post-coronavirus world look like?
Personal protective equipment brought to the US through an operation run by Harvard Business School student Sophie Bai.

Harvard grad student creates a new PPE supply chain from China to Boston

The coronavirus pandemic is creating an insatiable demand for medical and personal protective equipment (PPE) that has overwhelmed the world market. China has ramped up the production of needed supplies by bringing new manufacturers online. In an international marketplace where companies, federal and state agencies are fighting for equipment, Harvard business student Sophie Bai and her colleagues are creating a new supply chain.

Harvard grad student creates a new PPE supply chain from China to Boston
A person in PPE works in a lab

A path out of a pandemic

As we continue to fight the coronavirus, is there a safe way to reopen sections of society?

A path out of a pandemic
Rabbi Daniel Schwartz reviews notes on his computer before getting ready to livestream a Friday night Shabbat service from inside Temple Shir Shalom, a Reform synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, on March 27, 2020 amid a coronavirus disease (C

For rabbis trying to connect the faithful, lockdown creates Catch-22s

Some rabbis think videoconferencing technology such as Zoom is a good platform for bridging the gap during the pandemic. Others make the opposite case.

For rabbis trying to connect the faithful, lockdown creates Catch-22s
People gather around a coffin on a boat

Mourning in the midst of a pandemic

The coronavirus has fundamentally changed how we live our lives, but perhaps most heartbreakingly, how we deal with death. Around the world, centuries-old burial rituals are being stopped. Gatherings to mourn someone’s death are limited. Even something as simple as a hug for a grieving friend is now essentially out of bounds.

Mourning in the midst of a pandemic
A detainee talks with an employee in an exam room in the medial unit during a media tour at Northwest ICE Processing Center, one of 31 dedicated ICE facilities that house immigration detainees, in Tacoma, Washington, Dec. 16, 2019.

Immigrants in US detention fear spread of coronavirus

On Tuesday, ICE recorded its first case of COVID-19 in a detainee — an immigrant in a detention center in New Jersey.

Immigrants in US detention fear spread of coronavirus