Jay Williams
Legacy Awards 2026
Join us as we come together to honour the legacy of Jay Williams and celebrate the next chapter of the Jay Williams Legacy Fund.
The Jay Williams Legacy Awards recognize students who embody Jay's commitment to authenticity, leadership, service, and equity. Through awards and bursaries, we celebrate their achievements, support their educational journeys, and carry forward Jay's belief in the power of community and possibility.
Get ready for an evening of recognition, connection, and celebration.
Jay Williams Legacy Fund Awards 2026
A Night to Remember. A Legacy to Continue.
We’re back.
After an unforgettable inaugural celebration, the Jay Williams Legacy Fund Awards & Fundraiser returns on November 28, 2026 for another night of music, performances, community, celebration, and purpose.
Jay Williams believed in young people. He believed in showing up authentically, challenging expectations, creating space for others, and leaving your community better than you found it.
The Legacy Awards carry that spirit forward by celebrating young people who persist despite the barriers they face, lead with purpose, and make an impact in their communities.
Last year, we celebrated where the legacy began. This year, we celebrate where it’s going.
Join us as we honour Jay, celebrate this year’s recipients, and continue investing in the young people who will shape what comes next.
Come celebrate. Come connect. Come support the future.
Jay Williams Legacy Awards
The Jay Williams Memorial Awards & Bursaries honour the life, legacy, and spirit of Jay Williams—a transformative educator, mentor, and advocate for Black youth in Toronto. Jay’s work was rooted in authenticity, resilience, and a deep commitment to community.
He challenged traditional notions of what it meant to be a teacher, embodying a hip-hop ethic, defying stereotypes, and always showing up as his full self: a Black man from the Malvern area of Scarborough, an athlete, an intellectual, and a rebel with a purpose.
These awards are not for the “perfect student”—they are for the real ones. The ones who have been counted out, overlooked, or misunderstood—but who persist. The students who, like Jay, carry fire in their belly, love in their heart, and a vision for change.