Boston

Who was Toussaint L’Ouverture, the namesake behind Boston’s new Haitian cultural center?

The Toussaint L’Ouverture Cultural Center of Massachusetts, is set to celebrate its groundbreaking near TD Garden in Boston on May 20. It will act as a gathering place and resource center for local Haitians. And organizers hope it will also help the legacy of one of history’s great leaders live on. GBH’s Esteban Bustillos has the story.

Polyethylene bags are used to protect bananas from pests and blight on a plantation in Costa Rica.

The shadow of the United Fruit Company still reaches across the globe today

a student stands with her arms crossed in front of a domed building on MIT's campus

On campus, Jewish and Muslim students fear for their safety

The 2015 Kennedy Center Honors Honorees, including conductor Seiji Ozawa, stand on stage during a reception for them in the East Room of the White House, Dec. 6, 2015.

Renowned conductor Seiji Ozawa is remembered as ‘graceful,’ ‘supernaturally’ gifted

Music
Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler, co-hosts, "The World."

The World adds co-host to public radio’s longest-running global news program

Media
Cast members perform during a rehearsal of the opera "Monkey: A Kung Fu Puppet Parable" at the Emerson Paramount Center in Boston, Sept. 20, 2023.

A modern take on an ancient Chinese folk tale

Arts, Culture & Media

The new opera, “Monkey: A Kung Fu Puppet Parable,” had its world premiere in Boston over the weekend. The story is based on an ancient Chinese folk tale and uses modern and diverse cultural elements to create a unique rendition of the popular fable.

Zhayreth, Adriana, Freddy and Freydar Torres sit on the stoop of their apartment in Dorchester.

With strife behind them, a young migrant family prepares to seek asylum in Boston

Migration

Calling it a humanitarian crisis, Governor Maura Healey has activated the National Guard to support migrants at Joint Base Cape Cod and launched two welcome centers in Boston and Quincy. But the influx of desperate people is so great that families are flooding nonprofits and local hospitals.

Samuel Ike, dressed in the role of Revolutionary War-era African American abolitionist Prince Hall.

The history of enslavement at Boston’s Freedom Trail sites is beginning to be told

History

Boston is a cradle of American history, and 4 million people a year visit the historic churches, graveyards and parks that make up the Freedom Trail to learn more about the country’s origins. But rarely do they hear the underbelly of that story: that slavery touched nearly every aspect of the society and the economy of Massachusetts during that period of time. But that is now changing.

Karolina Daremyan bikes just six weeks after receiving her new prosthetic legs at Shriners Children's Boston.

How a Boston hospital transformed a Ukrainian child’s life

Ukraine

UN human rights groups have recorded over 500 children killed and nearly 1,000 injured from the Ukraine war. The Ukrainian hospital system has been overwhelmed, and only a fraction of injured children, like 6-year-old Karolina Daremyan, have been able to make the journey to the US for complicated medical procedures and rehabilitation.

The ambiance of the Bab al-Yemen restaurant in Boston adds to a unique dining experience for customers, Apr. 12, 2023.

At Boston’s first Yemeni restaurant, food, community and tradition are on the menu this Ramadan

Lifestyle & Belief

Owner Ahmed Mahmood tells The World about his own journey, the political situation in Yemen and how he’s created a space for those observing the month of fasting.