Baye McNeil
About
Born in Brooklyn New York, Reborn in Japan. I'm a writer first and foremost. Teaching and activism spring from that. Nothing brings me more satisfaction than telling a story well. Well, except a great Onsen, My mother once told me that I would make a positive difference in the world. I have a feeling she's right but who knows? Moms always seem right don't they? So I believe her. We'll see won't we?Sessions
Teacher and Professional Development From Activist to ALT to Activist Abroad more
Sat, Nov 13, 16:45-17:45 Asia/Tokyo
I wasn’t born an activist but damn near. My mother made sure our formal education was one that would prepare not only our minds but our souls for a society dominated by white supremacy and Eurocentricity, which intentionally or not, sublimated all non-whites. My mother enlisted me in an Afrocentric school and environment and set me on a path that eventually compelled me to teach what I had learned to young minds, and to share my ideas via activism, journalism, and publishing with the world at-large. I’ve been asked to share some of this journey with JALT so buckle up. I’m going to take you from my roots as a student at school on the forefront of the Pan-African / Black Power movement of the 70s (an earlier articulation of Black Lives Matters) in Brooklyn NY, through to utilizing activism and the media to end blackface in Japan. Along the way I had to live two lives, hardworking ALT by day, and, under a pseudonym only, author, activist, journalist, and sometimes TV talent. Trying to keep the two lives separate was a task and a half, until one incident stripped the fence away and my two lives collided.
Sociopolitical Issues in Language Instruction Reducing Presumptions more
Sun, Nov 14, 14:05-15:05 Asia/Tokyo
The goal of this workshop is to examine the presumptions we make about other people, particularly people of another race, ethnicity or nationality, but also of other sexual orientation, professions, political affiliations, even age and weight. All come to bear on how we choose to interact with said person. During this session we will: 1- Define presumption 2- Attempt to identify our presumptions 3- If possible, ascertain the root / source of our presumption 4- Ascertain whether said presumption is problematic or not. 5- Establish / Uncover / Utilize Practical ways to reduce our use of presumptions (if it’s called for) Likely we all have done some version of this in our self-assessments, but I’ve found, even in myself, as I’ve conducted this workshop at universities here in Japan, that many problematic presumptions, particularly ones acquired in our formative years, tend to be resilient and will persist to wreak havoc often under the radar. So, let’s pop the hood and see what we see.
Non-Teaching Area Panel Discussion and Closing Ceremony more
Mon, Nov 15, 16:00-17:00 Asia/Tokyo
The end of the show, and we will welcome some of our plenary, featured, and invited guest speakers to offer some final words and reflections on the conference. Audience participants will be encouraged to ask questions and offer insights of their own. After the panel discussion we will hear about what is to come for JALT2022!
