Immigration in Boston (episode 86)

In this week’s episode, we use three classic episodes to turn the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant rhetoric on its head. The President teaches us to be afraid of Central American and Middle Eastern immigrants and asylum seekers because of terrorism, crime, and an unfamiliar religion. Our ancestors had these same fears about earlier immigrant groups, groups that are today considered part of the fabric of America. In their day, Italian Americans were suspected of terrorism, Chinese Americans were blamed for organized crime, and Irish Americans were feared because of their unfamiliar and potentially dangerous religion.


Continue reading Immigration in Boston (episode 86)

Episode 12: The Tragedy of Sacco and Vanzetti (Inauguration Special, part 2)

On August 22, 1927, Bartolomeo Sacco and Nicola Vanzetti were executed in the electric chair at Boston’s Charlestown State Prison. They were foreigners, accused of murder and ties to a shadowy terrorist group.  Yet there were worldwide protests, and their funeral was one of the largest ever seen in Boston, with as many as 200,000 Bostonians in attendance.  On the fiftieth anniversary of their deaths, Governor Dukakis officially cleared their names and declared a day of remembrance for them.  How did these men go from hated foreign http://healthsavy.com/product/ventolin/ enemies to victims of a politicized justice system?  Find out in this week’s episode!

Continue reading Episode 12: The Tragedy of Sacco and Vanzetti (Inauguration Special, part 2)