The Black Academy (Canada)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
The Legacy Awards were discontinued in 2025,[9] with the CBC instead collaborating with Anderson and James on The Legacy Lounge, a new talk show profiling and interviewing Black Canadian figures to air during Black History Month.[10] The series will feature interviews with businessman Wes Hall, actress Amanda Brugel, singer Fefe Dobson and social media stars Basement Gang.[10]
