Founded in 1972 by local community activists and the Asian American Civic Association (AACA), Sampan came into being to offer a vital voice to the conventional news scene in Massachusetts. The idea sparked when community leaders and students decided to create a platform that would cover local civic issues, housing, and events in a way they felt was lacking in mainstream media for non-English speaking Chinese immigrants. Today, the newspaper and its digital site continue to operate under the ownership and management of the AACA. Today, Sampan is still run by the AACA alongside a dedicated team of volunteers and is mainly focused on community and local news. Instead of mainstream national sports or celebrity entertainment, they cover local political issues, immigration updates, education, healthcare, and Asian-American arts. They're based in Boston, Massachusetts, and have made a name for themselves among college students, local residents, and activists looking for a community-focused take on the happenings in the Asian-American world. One interesting fact: A unique fact about Sampan is its specialized, dual-language format. Users might be surprised to learn that it is the only fully bilingual Chinese-English newspaper in all of New England, printing its stories in both languages to seamlessly bridge the communication gap between older immigrant generations and younger, English-speaking students!