Naomi Campbell made a brief visit to Canada over the weekend for the 2016 Black History Month's Mandela Legacy Awards.
The 45-year-old supermodel was one of the honourees of the awards, along with Africa-American civil-rights activist Al Sharpton and Canadian television host Tyrone Edwards.
Taking place at the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa on Saturday night, Campbell was awarded with the honour by Mandela's grandson, Zondwa Mandela, for her multiple charitable causes, including Fashion for Relief, her series of fashion shows to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
According to the Ottawa Citizen, Mandela highlighted Campbell's "fearlessness, strength and perseverance" and her refusal to "see her skin as an obstacle to becoming one of the world's most achieved supermodels."
"Tonight we don't just celebrate a supermodel, we celebrate a super woman," Mandela said, according to the Ottawa Citizen.
Campbell, who wore Burberry for the occasion, accepted the award, telling the audience, "I'm committed to changing perceptions in our industry so that diversity is normal rather than the exception to the rule," reports the Ottawa Citizen.
Other honourees include broadcasters Sabine Daniel and Barbara Laurenstin, Project Jenga's Mitch Kurylowicz and HERA Mission president and founder, Peggy Taillon.
Recently, an excerpt from Naomi's new book, "Naomi Campbell" revealed the racism she encountered early on in her career.
"When I started out, I wasn't being booked for certain shows because of the colour of my skin," she writes, in a preview featured in The Guardian. "I didn't let it rattle me. From attending auditions and performing at an early age, I understood what it meant to be black. You had to put in that extra effort. You had to be twice as good."
The book is set to be released in April 2016.
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