Boston

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

About a hundred years ago, the Boston-based banana company, United Fruit, reigned supreme in Central America. It didn’t just own banana plantations, but also railroads and telephone lines. The company even dictated national policies and overthrew governments. For his podcast “Under the Shadow,” about US involvement in Central America, Michael Fox traveled to Guatemala, where he looked at the legacy of United Fruit and its impact on the global fruit industry today.

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

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

Renowned conductor Seiji Ozawa is remembered as 'graceful,' 'supernaturally' gifted
Marco Werman and Carolyn Beeler, co-hosts, "The World."

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

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

A modern take on an ancient Chinese folk tale
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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

How a Boston hospital transformed a Ukrainian child’s life
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

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.

At Boston’s first Yemeni restaurant, food, community and tradition are on the menu this Ramadan
The Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center has amplified its social emotional learning curriculum for preschoolers facing pandemic-related challenges.

Chinatown preschool helps families name pandemic-related feelings

Teachers at the Acorn Center for Early Education and Care in Boston’s Chinatown use a curriculum that teaches students how to manage big feelings — especially pandemic-related ones — which families have recognized as a growing need.

Chinatown preschool helps families name pandemic-related feelings
Two players from Boston bruins and Montreal Canadiens hockey teams talk to each other on the ice

Montreal Canadiens superfans brace for historic record to be smashed

The Boston Bruins are on the verge of making history — eclipsing the Montreal Canadiens' coveted record of most points scored in a regular season, set back in 1977.

Montreal Canadiens superfans brace for historic record to be smashed
Aïda Muluneh's "To pursue the ceaseless way," is exhibited on a bus stop in the Boston area. The photograph is part of "This is where I am," presented by New York-based Public Art Fund.

Aïda Muluneh's public art photo exhibit is 'a love letter to Ethiopia'

Ethiopian photographer and educator Aïda Muluneh is showcasing the culture of her birth country in a series of 12 photographs displayed at more than 300 bus stops across Boston, New York, Chicago and Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Aïda Muluneh's public art photo exhibit is 'a love letter to Ethiopia'
The book includes haunting photos from inside the ghetto, along with its record of the medical effects of starvation.

Warsaw Ghetto’s defiant Jewish doctors secretly documented the medical effects of Nazi starvation policies

A researcher at Tufts University near Boston discovered an old book full of research on starvation written by Jewish doctors imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto.

Warsaw Ghetto’s defiant Jewish doctors secretly documented the medical effects of Nazi starvation policies
Album covers of some of the allbums from artists included in the end-of-year music playlist with recommendations from The World staff. Clockwise, startiing from the top left corner: Adrian Quesada's "Boleros Psicodélicos," Sillvana Estrada's "Marchita," V

A musical journey around the globe 2022, a playlist

Music is part of The World’s DNA and, as it turns out, it is something many of the show’s staff appreciate. This playlist with their recommendations will take you on a journey around the globe.

A musical journey around the globe 2022, a playlist
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