By Ethan Ready

Tyrell Laing

“It’s my duty”: Laing looks to continue advocacy for equality

Feb 1, 2021 | 6:21 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – A video released last June by UNBC featured Timberwolves basketball star guard Tyrell Laing, sharing his thoughts and personal experiences about Black Lives Matter. A reality the fifth-year Timberwolf has endured right here in his hometown of Prince George.

“I think sometimes these things go unspoken and sometimes there are things that happen behind closed doors that aren’t really talked about,” said Laing. “It’s not just even necessarily pertaining to black people. The Indigenous population, there’s people of Asian-heritage here locally that experience different things. I just want to be a voice for everybody moving forward.”

Last week, that video won the Council for Advancement and Support of Education District VIII grand gold award for best video on a shoestring. CASE District VIII represents post-secondary institutions across the Pacific Northwest in the United States as well as Western Canada. But Laing’s mission isn’t over.

“Ultimately, here locally, it’s difficult to see. Obviously, due to this virus, access to the public is very limited so I don’t have as much interaction with many people as I’m used to. It’s really hard to tell from that perspective but I do understand that there’s still a lot of work to be done in terms of policies and procedures that we would like to see implemented to assist all minority groups, not just black people.”

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And Laing says he will continue to be a voice for equality in Prince George.

“I think this is my duty to be a local athlete who grew up here who has this opportunity and platform to speak. I think it’s a great chance for me to continue to spread a message and continue to help make some change.”

This is the second consecutive year that the UNBC Athletics department produced an award-winning story. Last year, men’s soccer player Michael Henman spoke about his mental health challenges and what he overcame to excel in Canada West.