Baye McNeil - The Japan Times

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Baye McNeil

For Baye McNeil's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

May 15, 2019

A tale of two ads (and two different sets of eyes)

Since many Japanese people don't have the opportunity to interact with black people in their daily lives, how the community is represented in the national media is important.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Feb 20, 2019

The onus is still on us to be black history

A few years back, I wrote a piece for Black History Month in which I challenged people of African descent living here in Japan to "be black history." I implored them not to necessarily dwell on the past but to: "Dwell on the now instead. Because everything you do now becomes history and herstory the moment after you've done it, and that deed is potentially historic. Particularly here. The opportunities to be a trailblazer abound in Japan."

Japan Times

PODCAST / deep dive

Jan 30, 2019

Episode 6: What a week for Naomi Osaka

This week on Deep Dive, Oscar Boyd is joined by Baye McNeil and Joel Tansey to discuss Naomi Osaka's rise to the top and a recent case of whitewashing.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Jan 19, 2019

Someone lost their noodle making this new Nissin ad featuring Naomi Osaka

This month, cup noodle maker Nissin served up its animated "Hungry to win" ad campaign, drawn by "Prince of Tennis" artist Takeshi Konomi and featuring actual tennis prince Kei Nishikori and our newest bona fide global star, Naomi Osaka.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Dec 19, 2018

For me, 2018 was the year Japan began to listen

One day next year, and the year after that, someone will ask me in the course of a conversation why I decided to stay in Japan. I know this because it ranks among the top questions I'm asked — by Japanese and non-Japanese alike — since I arrived here back in 2004. And on the day I'm asked, my answer will begin: "Because I had to be here when 2018 rolled around."

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Dec 1, 2018

'We felt the need to mix it up: Japanese and hip-hop culture'

It has been a hot year for viral dance challenges and Japan has had its fair share. The most notable was the craze surrounding Da Pump's "U.S.A.," attempted by everyone from teenagers on TikTok to U.S. Marines on YouTube.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Oct 17, 2018

The empty seat on a crowded Japanese train: 10 years on, the 'gaijin seat' still grates

If you're a conspicuous non-Japanese living in the country, then you've likely experienced the empty-seat phenomenon with varying frequency and intensity.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Sep 16, 2018

To black up or not to black up for 'Othello,' that is the question

As a Tokyo theater offers another Othello in blackface, Baye McNeil argues that breaking out the shoe polish is the laziest yet most problematic option.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Aug 19, 2018

Whatever the role, if it's tough, 'Chuck can do it'

Bothered by the acting parts offered to black people in Japan, action man Chuck Johnson started his own production company.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Jul 22, 2018

With Japan trip, New York teacher proves to inner-city students that sky's the limit

In an epic feat of fundraising, teacher Eric Jordan has completed his mission to bring some less-than-privileged students from Brownsville, Brooklyn, to Japan.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Jun 17, 2018

Turning Japanese: Newly naturalized African ex-American has skin in the game

What motivated Henry Moreland Seals to decide that he'd sooner salute the Hinomaru than the Stars and Stripes?

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

May 20, 2018

Are black people dangerous for Japan?

Yes, if you're a backward-thinking, race-baiting YouTuber who fears the inevitable change we represent.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Apr 22, 2018

The hoops worth going through

The challenges of coaching basketball in Japan keep Samir St. Clair on a winning streak

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Mar 18, 2018

Could 'Black Panther' change how Japanese view people of color?

While the film may mean one small step for attitudes here, it represents a big-cat leap for black people's view of ourselves.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Jan 10, 2018

Time for Japan to scrub off that blackface — for good

Oops, they did it again: offensive makeup for laughs on TV. But some Japanese viewers are far from amused.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Dec 17, 2017

What the world needs right now is more Kwanzaa

Although the celebration was designed as a Pan-African affair, its seven principles could benefit every one of us.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Nov 29, 2017

The consummation of cool is a funny business for comedian Ike Nwala

Turn on the TV in Japan and you're likely to see a black face from time to time. Rarely will it be in a drama, but on game shows, variety and comedy shows, even some commercials. I wouldn't say we're commonplace, but we're out there. And, honestly, I used to dread every instance. Still do, actually, but for different reasons.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Oct 8, 2017

Vow to 'compete at the Japanese level' pays off for Oussouby Sacko, Kyoto Seika's next head

In his rise up the ranks, Malian academic positioned himself as a bridge between Japan and the outside world.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Oct 4, 2017

Kyoto Seika's next dean, Oussouby Sacko, was schooled in the violent tumult of '80s China

Malian architect lived through protests by Chinese students targeting Africans just months before the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Sep 17, 2017

Japanese professor studies U.S. 'birth of a nation' and finds common humanity

Understanding racial issues is key to knowing America's history and, through that, modern Japan's, says Keiko Shirakawa.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.

The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces

By Stephen Mansfield

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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