Introduction: NABEA’s Japan Chat Club is a community-driven program founded and led by Ashley Hayes and supported by Harvey Beasley; it was created in June of 2021, just 2 years after NABEA’s founding in 2019. As part of NABEA’s mission
Why I Joined NABEA – Branden Turnbough

To understand why I joined the National Association for Black Engagement with Asia, I will start with what sparked my interest in Asia in general. I grew up in Houston Texas in a southwestern part of town, called Bellaire. Houston
Why I Joined NABEA – Kimberlee Sanders

When I say that I’m a Black scholar who works on and in Japan, I think many people assume that I must work on Blackness in Japan. They’re often surprised when I say that I actually study anime, manga, and
Why I Joined NABEA – Dwight N. Hopkins

When I was younger and in middle school, I ran across an article by someone with a strange name. The title of the piece was “Statement Supporting the Afro-Americans in Their Just Struggle Against Racal Discrimination.” I was curious about
Why I Joined NABEA – Tyrell Walker

Approximately 9 years ago, I left the United States for the first time to fly to Nanjing, China through my high school’s exchange program. This trip was a huge culture shock to a small-town boy…