Baye McNeil, Yokohama resident, teacher, author, columnist… activist?
Perhaps we’re all somewhat racist, but few people confront their own racism or that in society so determinedly and publicly as McNeil. A native of Brooklyn, New York, he came to Japan ten years ago and took a teaching job. He still teaches, but has made his mark lately as a writer and social activist of sorts.
A couple of months ago, McNeil launched an online petition urging Fuji TV to drop a planned broadcast of a performance by Rats and Star, a Japanese doo-wop group that performs in “black face.” While some argued the group wasn’t meaning to be disrespectful and was simply expressing its enthusiasm for black music, “black face” is highly offensive (and racist) overseas, especially in McNeil’s native America. What does that have to do with Japan? As McNeil put it, Japan wants inbound tourism and is preparing to host the 2020 Olympics; it needs to be more sensitive to such issues and, in the age of the internet, can’t claim innocent ignorance. “Before, I used to tolerate it,” says McNeil, “but as I lived here longer, I came to have vested interests in Japan. This is my home. I had to take a stand.”
McNeil’s polite, but firmly worded petition gained much support, including from Peter Barakan, the celebrated Japanese radio host, and Hiroko Tabuchi, a New York Times columnist and member of two Pulitzer-prize winning teams. The petition, signed by thousands, also gained many Japanese signatures. Fuji TV, to the relief of many, dropped the performance.
Previously, McNeil tackled issues of racism in his book, “My Name is Loco and I’m a Racist” (2012). He followed that with, “Loco in Yokohama” (2013), which focuses more on his relationships with people around him. He has also been a regular columnist for the Japan Times, writing on black identity.
McNeil enjoys his life in Yokohama, claiming it reminds him of his native Brooklyn. “It’s a big city with a small-town feel.” And with McNeil, Yokohama is that much more international, too.