Baye McNeil facts for kids
Baye McNeil is an African-American writer and speaker. He has lived in Japan since 2004. He writes a column for The Japan Times. He also writes for a Japanese online publication called Toyo Keizai. Baye McNeil has written two books about his life. These books are Hi! My Name is Loco and I am a Racist (2012) and Loco in Yokohama (2013).
His Early Life
Baye McNeil was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was raised there by his mother. He went to a school that focused on African history and culture. He is also part of a group called the Five-Percent Nation. This group is a Black nationalist movement. It was influenced by the Nation of Islam organization.
McNeil served in the U.S. Army. He was in New York during the events of 9/11. In 2004, Baye McNeil moved to Japan. He taught English at an eikaiwa for three years. Then, in 2008, he moved to Yokohama.
What He Does
Since moving to Yokohama, McNeil has written a lot on his website. He mainly writes about issues related to race. Since 2014, he has a monthly column in The Japan Times. It is called "Black Eye." In this column, he shares his views on race and ethnicity as an African American.
Many journalists have asked for McNeil's opinions. He has appeared on different news channels. These include BBC, TBS, The New York Times, The Japan Times, and The Washington Post. He talks about race issues in Japan.
In 2015, McNeil started a successful online petition. He wanted to stop a part of the music show Music Fair from airing. This part was on Fuji TV in Japan. It showed the groups Momoiro Clover Z and Rats & Star performing in blackface. Blackface is when someone paints their face to look like a Black person. This is often seen as very offensive because it was used to mock Black people in the past.
Later, in 2018, a comedian named Masatoshi Hamada also appeared in blackface on Japanese TV. McNeil spoke out against this. News outlets around the world covered his opposition. These included BBC, The New York Times, the New York Daily News, Vox, and TBS.
Some Japanese people felt that blackface was only offensive in America. They thought this because of America's history of using it to mock Black people. They believed other countries did not have the same history. However, blackface and similar images have a long history in many parts of the world. They often carry a negative meaning.
Different Views on BLM in Japan
In 2020, there were BLM protests in Japan. Baye McNeil felt disappointed that many Japanese people did not support these protests. Many local people felt the movement was not directly related to them. They also worried that large protests could be risky during a global pandemic.
McNeil felt that Japanese people were not able to understand the feelings of Black Americans. He wrote about his disappointment online. His comments caused a strong reaction on the Japanese internet. Many people thought he was trying to bring American issues to Japan. They felt he was trying to make his own values apply to others.
A famous Japanese artist, Megumi Igarashi, also spoke about this. She said that Baye was trying to make his values apply to Japanese people. She felt he did this without fully understanding Japanese culture and people.
His Books
- Hi! My Name is Loco and I am a Racist (Hunterfly Road Publishing, 2012) ISBN: 978-0615587783
- Loco in Yokohama (Hunterfly Road Publishing, 2013) ISBN: 978-0615885117
- Words By Baye, Art By Miki: Crafting a Life Together with Affection, Creativity, and Resilience (Hunterfly Road Publishing, 2024) ISBN 979-8218553715
