By Sue Ra, Communications Intern

For many, 2020 was a difficult and uncertain time due to the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 virus. Countries around the globe were faced with high unemployment, rising number of cases, and a collective feeling of panic. Moreover, the origin of the virus brought about a new epidemic altogether – a marked rise in hate crimes directed at the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. In stunning new evidence, data finds that there have been nearly 3,800 anti-Asian hate incidents reported over the past year since the outbreak. These incidents include verbal harassment, shunning, physical assault, and discrimination. Additionally, a poll conducted by USA Today/Ipsos Poll observed that one in four Americans have seen someone blame Asians for the coronavirus epidemic. This recent spike of Asian-targetted hate crimes pose a serious risk to the community on a multifaceted level. The emotional, physical, and mental trauma (on an individual and collective level) of these actions create an added layer of insecurity within the AAPI community. 

By Jacob Lintner, Communications Intern

In a time that’s been difficult on everyone, we wanted to give praise to some of the hard-working cornerstones of our communities. For the first installment of our Immigrant-Owned Business Spotlight, we talked to Hector and Miriam Morales, who own and operate Recreo Coffee & Roasterie. The two have been serving sustainably sourced, homegrown coffee from their location at 1876 Centre Street in West Roxbury since February 14, 2015. They opened a second location downtown at City Hall in June 2017, which has the same selection of coffee and some small lunch options.