Pronouns: He/Him/His

 

If you’ve reached this part of the website, it probably means you’re looking to know more about me. And so, without further ado, let me introduce myself.

 

My name is Hov-

 

I’m kidding. My name is Alexandre Vachon, aka ACV, aka Lightskinbaka, aka Lightskin-sama, aka You-n-I, aka I-n-I. My mother is Haitian American – born in Haiti but immigrated to Chicago in her preteens. My father is born and raised in Montreal, Canada, he is a full-fledged Quebecer.

 

My parents met and wed in Los Angeles, California, (the majority of my family from both my Canadian and American side reside in the US) and moved to Montreal, my father’s home city, in the early 90s. Fast-forward to 1997, the young lightskinbaka was born. My elementary and secondary education was done in French; however my post-secondary education was done entirely in English. I firstly attended John Abbott College where I studied Liberal Arts between 2014 to 2016. My activist awakening happened in 2014 when I organized a solidarity protest for Michael Brown at my college. The following year I became the Opinions section's editor for the college’s newspaper and there I began my journey as a social commentator. After graduating from John Abbott College in 2016, I attended McGill University where I pursued a double major in Classics & Philosophy. During my four years, I honed my activism and acquired the linguistic skills to deliver poignant social commentary.

 

Outside of my academic career, I have devoted myself to community involvement, for example working with the West-Island Black Community Association since 2015, counselling local government on matters of racial inequality, and delivering poignant and often blunt social commentary on social media. My academic research interests are critical race theory, constitutional theory, jurisprudence, phenomenology and history of philosophy. Outside of my research interests, I also am passionate about Black Canadian history, art history, decolonization studies, feminist theory, antiquity, philosophy of science, and politics in general (everything from geopolitics to local politics).

 

In my personal time, whatever little time is left between my academic and activist work, I make music, both produce and rap, and since the age of 7, I have been a devout anime enthusiast.

 

With Black Drops I hope to create a space where academia, advocacy, music and anime can all coagulate like they do in my person. I hope to develop my own voice into a beacon that transcends the spheres of academia, politics and popular culture. I hope to create a lane for myself and deliver interesting, fresh new important takes on the current happenings of our world, while also sharing my passion for writing and music. I do not want to tie myself to one specific lane, instead I hope to appeal to the ancient greats who delved into everything; the social and professional constraints of the 21st century create lines of differentiation between these intermingling sectors of the world. However, art cannot exist in an apolitical world, and academia cannot exist in a culture-less world. To be a man of many trades is to be a person in tune with their entire being, to focus your whole life on only one aspect of yourself destroys your inner soul and supplies one a life of perpetual mental and spiritual lack; or so I believe…

 

Maybe I’m wrong, but hey, even if I’m wrong I hope you follow me on this journey, in the everlasting hope that this journey lasts for a while!

 

Sincerely,

Alexandre Vachon, aka ACV, aka Lightskinbaka, aka Lightskin-sama, aka You-n-I, aka I-n-I.