Soulsters. What more can I say about The Legacy Awards that hasn’t already been said?
As previously mentioned, last year, like Keshia, I had major FOMO tweeting from my sofa. I was supposed to be on the Black Carpet but was taken out of commission by a bad back. I vowed this year that I would be on that carpet taking up space, embracing everything The Legacy Awards had to offer. I did just that, and it didn’t disappoint one bit.
The ‘fit and form
I got all dolled up and rented a fabulous sequinned showstopper from Fitzroy’s. They are not lying when they say they’re dress rental magic. I was gassed up in the most ways by many on the Black Carpet (including Tracy Moore and Stephan James) and felt like a million bucks. Big shouts to my sister Juliana aka Glamourista for the face!
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Now, as for the evening, I arrived and took my spot in the media procession line. I had a fantastic spot between Brandon Gonez’s team and The Black Academy. What I was most proud of was representing both Soulafrodisiac and ByBlacks. To see my name on the placeholder was DOPE. I’ve put in a lot of work and time doing what I love over the years, and it’s always nice to see when your efforts have been noticed (thanks to Jully Black, who’s been riding with me from time because she noticed it too). Best believe at the end of the night, I took it home with me!
The Interviews
My interview list ran deep. What started as a slow trickle when celebrities started to arrive turned into a succession of familiar faces and new ones in the mix. It was a red carpet of hugs and air kisses (can’t mess up the makeup, y’all), accolades and unadulterated vibes. We had discussions from what The Legacy Award’s legacy is being molded into with Cameron Bailey to how far we’ve come from being the sole Black person in a room to being interviewed on a Black carpet with a line of Black journalists with Tonya Williams. The conversations ran the gamut.
I’m trying my best to get all of my interviews up on my YouTube channel, so bear with me. In the meantime, check out this reel below from my ByBlacks fam and the list of interviews I conducted on the Black Carpet:
Melanie Fiona Maureen Kitheka
Keshia Chanté Tonya Williams
Red1 Olunike Adeliyi
Sydney Kuhne Jully Black
Tracy Moore Jackie Richardson
Cameron Bailey Kardinal Offishall
DJ Kemo Choclair
Dream Warriors Saukrates
Basement Gang Shamier Anderson
Stephan James
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Did you watch The Legacy Awards?
At this point, I hope y’all have seen last year’s show and you got to watch the telecast live on Sunday night. Now, because I was all over doing my media thing (shout out to my girl Bee Quammie for holding down the media interviews backstage!), I didn’t get the chance to watch the entire show. This weekend, I intend to catch up and watch The Legacy Awards on CBC Gem. Just in case you missed it, let me help you out.
From what I saw, Keshia held her hosting duties down! Her energy is effervescent, she’s relatable and the sweetest. This was a perfect pairing with Stephan James and Shamier Anderson. It was pure vibes and niceness the only way we know how to do it. I can’t really put into words how much this means to Black Canadians. It’s ours. Built by us for us. It’s something to be proud of. Seeing how excited my 5-year-old son becomes when he watches my event videos is a clear indication of this show’s importance. I never had anything like this growing up. It makes all the difference seeing your reflection in different mediums. As y’all always hear me say, representation matters.
Anderson and James are laying a solid foundation for what and who’s to come. There are so many Black Canadians who are deserving and ready to receive their flowers. If we want to see this transpire over many more years, we have to support the endeavour. Watch it. Talk about it. Share it. Honestly, it can only go up from here.
Congratulations to all the award recipients: Icon Award recipient Jully Black, Visionary Award recipient Tonya Williams, Trailblazer Award recipient Director X and Emerging Artist recipient Lu Kala.
Congratulations to my peoples: Jemini (lead writer!), Ian Steaman and the show’s entire writing team.
Congratulations to Shamier Anderson, Stephan James and Keshia Chante on a job well done. And a special thank you to Gabrielle—you’re the best.
Until next time…
