The best way for me to start off this post is by saying "thank you" - quite literally, if it weren't for you all this past Saturday would have never played out for me the way it did.
Last summer, I was contacted by the Black Canadian Awards (run via the Diversity Advancement Network). I was going to be honoured as a Role Model in the Black Canadian community, and had also been nominated in the Best Blogger Award category for their 2014 awards ceremony. To say I was floored was an understatement. The majority of my readership and recognition in the blogging world has come from south of the border, so being recognized for my work here at home was an awesome feeling.
We were urged to solicit votes from friends, family, readers, social media followers, anyandeverydamnbody, and I'll be honest - I kind of balked at that. I'm not the biggest fan of "Who can get the most votes?" methods of award winning, and prefer to be judged on merit and a standard of work. When other nominees have larger social media followings and connections to networks you lack, it can seem very daunting - and the competition in my category seemed fairly stiff. A later email did state that votes plus review from a nomination committee would contribute to winning the award, so I sought votes from you all, but made sure my content and work was the best it could be along the way.
Finally, Saturday June 7th rolled around, and it was time for the Black Canadian Awards! After being rescheduled from the original date of March 1st, I just prayed that Little Magician and I still fit into my hot pink Henkaa dress (doing a version of this style), but luckily we did!
HomieLuva was my dapper date for the evening, so we headed on down to Toronto's Queen Elizabeth Theatre and got ready to soak up the night.
Y'all know I keep it 100, so let me get this piece out of the way. There was some level of disorganization that hampered some of my enjoyment of the festivities. Having food available would have been PRIME. Having event organizers easily identifiable would have been WONDERFUL. Maximizing the media that was present and really making use of some of the perks like the nominee limo procession, red carpet walk, and Role Model recognition ceremony would have been AWESOME. The potential for prestige and the necessity of an event such as the BCAs makes these points even more crucial in my eyes, so I hope 2015 is even better.
Anyways - tons of government officials and political figures were in attendance (RCMP, Olivia Chow, John Tory and others), and they took part in the Role Model recognition ceremony. I snagged my certificate of recognition, then hurried to meet the rest of the award nominees for the limo procession, which picked us up and brought us to the awaiting red carpet at the front of the theatre.
After a bit of schmoozing and a quick munch of some poutine that someone smuggled in provided for me, it was time for the show to start!
Hosted by Sean "Subliminal" Mauricette and Dorothy Rhau, the essence of the awards was to showcase excellence in the Black Canadian community, and I appreciated the diversity of the performers and nominees. "Canadian" events in Toronto can be awfully Toronto-centric, but it was great to see the representation from different parts of the country as well. There was a wide range of variety in the performances and the cultures represented therein, with my fave performances being a dope Azonto dance number by Esie Mensah and the Black Stars, and a wicked vocal performance from Shi Wisdom. Though at times it felt a bit too much like a concert sprinkled with awards as opposed to an actual awards show, it was very entertaining.
So. Let's get down to the most exciting moment, for me, anyways! Near the end of the night, the Best Blogger Award finally rolled around. I was joined in the category by Nikki Johnson, Tatiana King aka Miss Go 2 Girl, Teknique, Brenda Chuinkam, and Darling Nicky. As I mentioned before, I felt I was up against some stiff competition, so while I hoped for the best, I was more than prepared to hear one of the other 5 names called instead. Lo and behold, my name was called as the award winner, and I sat there for a moment still waiting for them to say someone else's name - it wasn't until HomieLuva smacked me on the leg and told me to get my ass up and get my award that it actually sunk in!
Was I even prepared to make a speech? Not at all - but I got through it without rambling on too much. That was the first time I ever accepted an award on stage, but needless to say, I've got the taste for it now (cue up the Freddie McGregor one time)! The best part of it was knowing that the support I received from y'all was so strong, and also feeling like my hard work is paying off in new and awesome ways. Maintaining a blog like mine - not celebrity-focused, not fashion-focused, not in one particular niche - and being a Black Canadian blogger who often gets more interaction from people in countries outside of mine, it's so easy to feel lost in the sauce of this digital world. At least on some scale, winning this award made me see just how much people support and enjoy my digital comfy couch. As one friend said when I issued my Facebook thank you status:
You can thank us by just keeping on doing what you've been doing.
So that's what I plan to do! Here's to fresh motivation (especially coming off of my best stats day EVER over the weekend thanks to my Race In Canada post) and a continued sense of pride in creating authentic and engaging content. I hope y'all enjoy, and I hope you feel through this blog how much I appreciate the love, support, and constructive feedback.
Thank you again to the Black Canadian Awards - here's to an even bigger and better show in 2015!