Shamier Anderson & Stephan James, co-founders of The Legacy Awards, share the books they loved reading
Keshia Chanté hosts the 2nd edition on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. ET on CBC TV and CBC Gem
The second edition of The Black Academy's award show, The Legacy Awards, will be broadcast nationwide on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. ET (9 p.m. AT/9:30 p.m. NT) on CBC TV and CBC Gem.
The 2023 edition, hosted by Canadian singer, actress and television personality Keshia Chanté, will feature performances, award presentations and tributes honouring both established and emerging Black Canadian talent at a gala event in Toronto.
Recipients of this year's awards include: actress, activist and producer Tonya Williams, filmmaker Julien Christian Lutz a.k.a Director X, platinum-selling artist and past Canada Reads panellist Jully Black and emerging R&B/pop singer LU KALA.
Award recipients are decided upon by The Legacy Awards' advisory committee, comprised of industry specialists in music, film, TV and pop culture. The brainchild of Canadian actors and sibling duo Shamier Anderson and Stephan James, The Black Academy is an organization that recognizes and fosters Black Canadian talent in various industries.
In a 2022 interview with CBC Books, the Toronto-raised brothers noted the organization's gala event is all about showcasing success and excellence by emerging and established Black Canadians.
"For myself and Shamier, as two young Black men who yearned for these kinds of things when we were growing up, to be able to be the ones creating it and having other people benefit from it is such a big deal for us. So we're incredibly humbled and honoured to have it take place," said James.
"But I've always kind of seen success as something outside of myself like something bigger than myself. What can I do to impact other people's spark?"
"Success for [us] is something that is always evolving, every day. Honestly, I just keep the blinders on, keep looking forward and doing what I do," added Anderson.
Both are huge fans of books and storytelling, adding that literature has played a key role in their success as actors and industry professionals.
"I think we were fans of stories in any medium. Reading was always important to us. Understanding characters helped grow our imaginations and fed into the artists that we are today," said James.
Below, James and Anderson share some of the books they've loved reading.
The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
Shamier Anderson: Coming from Scarborough, Ont., understanding finances wasn't a topic of discussion growing up. It was about not having money as opposed to how to make money. And so this book, for me, was really eye-opening.
"I'm a glutton for knowledge when it comes to financial literacy."
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Stephen James: I just love Of Mice and Men and The Catcher in the Rye. These are two books from my childhood that really resonated with me.
"I think they helped me expand my imagination as a young man."
Shamier Anderson and Stephen James's comments have been lightly edited for clarity.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
