Baye McNeil facts for kids

Baye McNeil is an American writer and speaker who has lived in Japan since 2004. He writes a regular column for The Japan Times, a newspaper, and also contributes to a Japanese online publication called Toyo Keizai. He has written two books about his life, called Hi! My Name is Loco and I am a Racist (2012) and Loco in Yokohama (2013).

Early Life and Moving to Japan

Baye McNeil was born in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up there with his mother. He served in the U.S. Army. He was in New York during the events of September 11, 2001.

In 2004, Baye McNeil moved to Japan. For three years, he worked as an English teacher at an eikaiwa, which is a type of English language school. In 2008, he moved to Yokohama, a large city in Japan.

Baye McNeil's Career and Writing

Since moving to Yokohama, McNeil has written a lot on his website. He often writes about issues related to race. Since 2014, he has had a monthly column in The Japan Times called "Black Eye." In this column, he shares his thoughts on race and ethnicity from his perspective as an African American living in Japan.

Many journalists have asked McNeil for his opinions. He has appeared in different news outlets. These include the BBC, TBS, The New York Times, The Japan Times, The Washington Post and Japan Up Close. He often talks about race issues in Japan.

Speaking Out Against Blackface

In 2015, Baye McNeil started an online petition on Change.org. He wanted to stop a part of a music show called Music Fair from airing on Fuji TV in Japan. In this part, the music groups Momoiro Clover Z and Rats & Star were going to perform in blackface. Blackface is when someone paints their face to look like a Black person. It is considered offensive because it was historically used to make fun of Black people.

Later, in 2018, a comedian named Masatoshi Hamada also appeared in blackface on Japanese television. McNeil spoke out against this. News organizations around the world, like the BBC, The New York Times, the New York Daily News, Vox and TBS, reported on his opposition.

Some people in Japan argued that blackface was only offensive in America. They felt it did not have the same negative history in Japan. However, blackface and similar images have a long history in many parts of the world and are often seen as hurtful.

Views on Black Lives Matter in Japan

In 2020, there were BLM protests around the world. Baye McNeil felt that many Japanese people were not supporting these protests in Japan. Some local people felt that the movement was not directly related to them. They also worried about large protests during a global pandemic.

McNeil wrote a blog post about his feelings. He expressed his disappointment that some Japanese people did not seem to understand or connect with the experiences of Black Americans.

Books by Baye McNeil

• 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