This day marks the inception of “Harrison Exists,” a green-ish coloured blog by a black-ish coloured person. If you’re wondering why this even matters at all, I’ll explain: Harrison (once known as “Harry”) is a culturally-informed style of smart person. He’s masterful at analyzing pop culture through a grad school lens, and brings grounded insight into topics of race, music, art and faith. Despite Harrison’s ability to supply captivating, rambling commentary on topics from blaxploitation to the Byronic hero, Harrison tends to stay clear of publishing his ideas to the web. That’s why this blog is worth paying attention to.
Currently pursuing his Masters in English at Trinity Western University, Harrison is also a good friend of mine. You can drop by Harrison Exists and read his debut post, an exploration into the “emblackening” of Fall Out Boy.
An excerpt:
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“Kanye West’s remix of this song is designed to baptize the song in blackness, making it acceptable for the uneasy and self-conscious Negroes of the world to listen to it unashamed…Is the black lifestyle so sacrosanct that we have to emblacken elements of white culture in order to enjoy them?”
MORE POSTS FROM KEVAN GILBERT
- The Best Things I Know About Right Now (on Friday, March 23)
- Redoing your WordPress site in 2009
- Google Adsense = Chambar, and other equations
- Problems in paradise: an update
- Life of Pi movie in the works

Kevan Gilbert is a life-size replica of a 5'8" tall human being, and comes with several interchangeable outfits and a realistic haircut. In the daytime hours, Kevan works as Project Coordinator of Creative Technologies at Vancouver’s Union Gospel Mission, overseeing an online strategy that raises over $700,000 a year. When he’s not spending time with his beautiful wife Kendra in their hometown of Burnaby, BC, Kevan is available to meet, chat and collaborate.
Thanks, Kevan. In this specific scenario, the emotion I feel most strongly is appreciation.
Other times, totally unrelated to you, I would claim my most common emotion to be EBULLIENCE.