The Black Academy (Canada)

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The Black Academy is a Canadian academy for the recognition of talent and fostering of Black Canadians in various industries. [1] It is a division of B.L.A.C.K. Canada (Building a Legacy in Acting, Cinema + Knowledge), an organization founded by Canadian actors Shamier Anderson and Stephan James in 2020. [2]

The organization has partnered with Insight Productions to launch an annual Legacy Awards ceremony to honour Black Canadian achievement in film, television, music, sports, and culture, which launched in 2022. [3] The awards ceremony was held on the last Sunday of September and have already secured a commitment from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to broadcast the ceremony for at least the first three years, from 2022 through 2024. [4]

The first Legacy Awards were broadcast on September 25, 2022, [5] with the honorees announced as Andre De Grasse, Kayla Grey and Fabienne Colas. [6] The honorees in 2023 were Tonya Williams, Director X, Jully Black, and Lu Kala, [7] with the 2024 ceremony honoring Kardinal Offishall, Cameron Bailey and Weyni Mengesha. [8]

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References

  1. Dowling, Amber (3 December 2020). "Shamier Anderson, Stephan James Launch The Black Academy, Celebrate Black Excellence in Canada". Variety.
  2. Victoria Ahearn (3 December 2020). "'The time is now': The Black Academy launched by actors Stephan James, Shamier Anderson". Global News. Canadian Press.
  3. Victoria Ahearn, "The Black Academy to launch Black-focused awards show in Canada". Global News, January 28, 2021.
  4. Victoria Ahearn, "CBC to air The Black Academy’s upcoming awards show, starting in fall 2022". Toronto Star , May 31, 2021.
  5. Greg David, "CBC UNVEILS 2022-23 PROGRAMMING SLATE". TV, eh?, June 1, 2022.
  6. Jackson Weaver, "Andre De Grasse, Kayla Grey, Fabienne Colas to receive inaugural Legacy Awards". CBC News, September 23, 2022.
  7. Taimur Sikander Mirza, "Legacy Awards unveils honourees for 2023 edition". Playback , August 29, 2023.
  8. "TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey among 2024 Legacy Awards honourees". Toronto Star , September 19, 2024.