Brothers and breakout acting stars Shamier Anderson and Stephan James want to celebrate overlooked Black Canadian talent.

Anderson and James have launched The Black Academy, which aims to provide a more inclusive portrait of Canadian entertainment by presenting awards honoring Canada’s Black talent, as well as educational programming and panel discussions. Right now, the bulk of programming in Canada featuring Black talent comes from U.S. shows.

James is known for his roles in 21 Bridges, If Beale Street Could Talk and Homecoming, while Anderson is known for his role as U.S. Deputy Marshall Xavier Dolls on the television series Wynonna Earp.

“Stephan and I strongly believe we have identified a glaring gap in the industry as far as the acknowledgment and celebration of Black Canadians doing exceptional things all over the world,” Anderson, co-founder and co-chair of The Black Academy, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

“This level of celebration is bound to breed a whole new world of Black Canadian talent doing exceptional things,” he continued. ‘We know the impact that providing an opportunity for Black talent to gain visibility and recognition will have. It breeds inspiration like no other amongst our communities. To have something for us, by us.”

The Black Academy

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