Baye McNeil - The 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.

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.

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.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Aug 20, 2017

Educator calls for better understanding of black history in Japan

On occasion, I still get asked this question: Of what value is a column dedicated exclusively to black issues — particularly here in Japan?

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Jul 23, 2017

Filling the void: Disseminating 'blackness' in Japan

I decided it was time to find out about the true state of scholarship in Japan pertaining to Africans and the African diaspora, and the people behind it.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Jun 18, 2017

Japan? The land of opportunity? Really?

The most common question you'll likely be asked upon making a new Japanese acquaintance is "Why did you come to Japan?" In 13 years here I've been asked this question by our hosts hundreds of times.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

May 21, 2017

Having trouble wrapping your head around Japan? Help with mental health is at hand

Black Eye speaks with professionals trained to offer guidance to those struggling to cope with a new environment.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Apr 16, 2017

Architect builds bridges between the Congo and Kansai

With an otaku's giddiness, Baye McNeil speaks with Nsenda Lukumwena, an authority on Japanese buildings and head of an architectural firm in Kobe.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Mar 19, 2017

Black Women in Japan group gears up for its first big bash

Back in the summer of 2015, I did a series of articles where I profiled black women married to Japanese men, discussing the highs and lows of building and maintaining such relationships, as well as the rewards and challenges of raising biracial children here in Japan.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Feb 19, 2017

For African-American ‘idol’ Amina du Jean, difference is a double-edged sword

Amina du Jean been in Japan for only 2u00bd years, but in that time has become a bona fide idol, joined a J-idol group and even branched off into a bit of gravure (bikini) modeling.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Jan 22, 2017

Meet the man who gets frisked by the Tokyo police five times a year

'Am I the only one who gets frisked five times a year?' was a question posed on Facebook by a black man living in Tokyo last year, as he related the harassment he's received at the hands of Tokyo's finest over the years.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Dec 18, 2016

A 'Big Bang' in the ring kicks it old school in Japan

American 'joshi puroresu' follows her dreams and finds fresh challenges in the 'mecca of wrestling'

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Nov 20, 2016

We Americans are 'baka' but we ain't that baka ... ?

After the euphoria of Barack Obama's tenure, it's back to politics as usual — but at least Donald Trump's open about his racism.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Oct 16, 2016

Dancing from Dakar to Tokyo, my brother Baye

Abdou Baye Fall, who used to dance in exchange for fish in Dakar, now travels the length and breadth of Japan teaching children about the cultures of Senegal.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Sep 18, 2016

Londoner finds her voice on the Tokyo stage

Originally setting out to be a Japanese voice actress, Reina has arrived at a destination she had not foreseen, a place where outside voices are rarely heard.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Aug 14, 2016

After 30 years in Japan, teacher from Zambia is still learning

Globe-trotting son of Zambian envoy thought he'd seen it all until he arrived on these shores.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives

Jul 17, 2016

Feeling despair from a distance as black lives taken

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it — always." — Mahatma Gandhi

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

Jun 19, 2016

Offering support — and floor space — to Japan's refugees

While the Japanese government continues to give asylum seekers the cold shoulder, one American church worker offers them a helping hand.

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE

May 15, 2016

Laid-back baker finds luck and love in Tokyo

Once shunned by his in-laws because of his race, father of four hopes to change minds in Japan, little by little.

CULTURE / Music

May 8, 2016

Soul music's icons bow down to King

In 2011, consummate music curator Questlove tweeted how impressed he was by the debut EP from Minneapolis-based soul trio King. And according to its members — twin sisters Paris and Amber Strother and their friend Anita Bias — the compliment took them from obscurity to fame "overnight."

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