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.