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All Things Considered Special: Living While Black, In Japan

In the wake of the 2020 killing of George Floyd, African-Americans and others mounted ongoing street protests.

But African-Americans living abroad felt the anguish as profoundly as their families and friends back "home."

Some have chosen to live in Japan, one of the most homogeneous nations in the world. Despite being in a smaller minority in Japan than in their home country, they express feelings of safety and freedom.

Yet, racism in the U.S. still plays a role in their lives. In this short film, several African-Americans living in Japan discuss how their encounters with police and racism in the U.S. played into their decision to live abroad and how leaving the U.S. changed their perceptions of who they are and their connection to the country of their birth.