A Whole New World

While acting as assistant director at a social club for enlisted men in Tokyo, Payne began developing and honing her journalistic skills. After the Korean War began in 1950, Payne documented racial discrimination within the military, including higher casualty rates among Black soldiers who were also disproportionately charged and convicted for desertion. Payne also gave particular attention to relationships between Black GIs and Japanese women, and the issues faced by Japanese women with biracial children as they fought to survive in post-WWII Japan. Her reporting in Japan was Payne’s first big foray into civil rights issues, secured her a job with the Chicago Defender, and marked the beginning of her career reporting on systemic racism throughout the US.