Black Achievement Awards presented at DeLaMar: 'This is not an award, it is a responsibility'

At the gala in Amsterdam, Black Achievement Month closed with awards for Black role models. Influencer KayKay was named BAM Influencer of the Year and said that, for her, the award is above all a responsibility.

On Friday evening, 30 October, the Black Achievement Awards were presented at DeLaMar theatre in Amsterdam. The gala marked the close of Black Achievement Month, the month in which the achievements of people of African descent in the Netherlands take center stage. Het Parool reported on the evening under the headline 'It's not an award, it's a responsibility'.

Those words come from influencer Kayleigh Cherise Tjon Sjoe Sjoe, known on social media as KayKay. According to Waterkant, she was named 'BAM Influencer of the Year' at the gala. The 29-year-old had received a nomination earlier and accepted the award on the stage at DeLaMar.

An award with a mission

According to Waterkant, KayKay made a strong impression with her acceptance speech. She said: "This is not an award, it is a responsibility." In doing so, the news site reports, she wanted to stress that the honor means more to her than personal recognition. She emphasized creating opportunities for others and said that Black excellence is about opening doors for new generations.

At 29, KayKay was the youngest speaker of the evening, Waterkant notes. That fits this year's theme. In 2026, Black Achievement Month was held under the banner 'Turning Black Excellence into Change'. According to the organizers, there is extra attention for young people, their perspectives and their ability to set change in motion.

The category for social media influencers is new compared with previous years. For the 2025 edition, AT5 still reported five categories: art and culture, entrepreneurship, sport, science and education, and people and society. This year there were six categories, plus a lifetime achievement award, according to Waterkant.

Who was honored

According to Culturu.com, the 2026 winners represent different generations and cultural backgrounds, with roots in Suriname, Ghana, Curaçao, Venezuela and the wider Caribbean, among other places. They include scientists, entrepreneurs, artists, sports entrepreneurs and social innovators. Culturu writes that the lifetime achievement award is also a recognition of the role of culture bearers within the Caribbean community.

AfroNet was unable to confirm a full list of winners per category with multiple sources at the time of writing. That is why we only name the winner we are certain about: KayKay. The Black Achievement Month website does list the nominees, among them researcher Bruce Mutsvairo and Alana Helberg.

Jennifer Tosch was on the list as well. She is the founder of Black Heritage Tours, guided tours past buildings and bridges in Amsterdam that tell the story of the city's colonial past. A few days before the gala, AT5 reported that she was nominated in the People and Society category. According to AT5, there were thirteen nominees at that point, spread across five categories. Waterkant mentions nineteen nominees in six categories, which fits with the added influencer category. Whether Tosch won an award cannot be determined from the available sources.

A young tradition with staying power

The Black Achievement Awards have existed since 2016, when the Nationaal instituut Nederlands slavernijverleden en erfenis (NiNsee) established them, as the overview on Wikipedia states. The awards go to Black role models with a demonstrable contribution to society. An independent jury selects the nominees and the winners.

Interest has grown over the years. In 2019, jury chair Clayde Menso told AT5 that the jury had to narrow more than two hundred entries down to eighteen nominees. A year earlier there had been only about fifty entries, and the jury had to put forward people themselves. Menso said at the time that people were getting better at understanding what the award stands for.

The list of previous winners shows the breadth of the awards. In 2022, actress and presenter Helen Kamperveen received the lifetime achievement award. In 2023, it went to politician Sylvana Simons and documentary maker Ida Does. In 2024, Barryl Biekman won the lifetime achievement award. Last year, police officer Cindy de Koning won in the People and Society category for her commitment to inclusion and social connection, AT5 reported.

Celebration and recognition

The gala was also an evening of music. According to DeLaMar and Waterkant, the program included Shirma Rouse, Latanya Alberto, Mai Tai, Illnoledge and DJ Shug La Sheedah, along with Jayh. There were speakers too. The organizers describe it as a festive show honoring well-known and lesser-known 'black achievers'.

Franc Weerwind put into words what the awards mean for the community last year, speaking to AT5. He is a former minister and chair of the Supervisory Board of the Slavernijmuseum. In his view, it is important to see what people achieve in society and to celebrate the value they add. On its website, the Black Achievement Month organization writes that the winners show it is possible to claim a meaningful place despite exclusion and prejudice.

KayKay's words echo that. For her, success does not end at the podium. That is where the task of helping others move forward begins. The fact that this year's award also goes to a young creator of online content shows that recognition moves along with the ways in which young Black Dutch people are visible.

The full report can be found at Het Parool. You can find more about the program, the nominees and this year's theme on the Black Achievement Month website.

Bronnen

• Het Parool
• Waterkant: Kayleigh 'KayKay' Cherise wint Black Achievement Award als Influencer of the Year
• Waterkant: Jayh, Shirma Rouse en Mai Tai bij feestelijke afsluiting Black Achievement Month
• Culturu.com: BAM Awards 2026
• AT5: Jennifer Tosch genomineerd
• AT5: Tiende editie van de Black Achievement Awards in DeLaMar