OCNews

Students in OC Professor Marc Arellano’s Sports and Communication 350 class had a unique guest speaker show them the ropes about cultural narratives in the world of sports.

Arellano welcomed director and producer Jim Morrison IV to his virtual class on March 16. Morrison recently made a short film entitled Bonecrusher, which documents Sam Langford, an unsung Black boxer from Canada.

“A society’s values and prized myths about itself are reflected in cultural narratives and events,” explains Arellano. “Sports is a prime example where myth-making and storytelling speak volumes about who we are as a culture and as a people. We need to question some of these cultural standards in areas such as gender and race especially when a simple act of raising a fist or ‘taking a knee’ is viewed as a form of rebellion against the status quo.”

On his website, Morrison states Sam Langford is the greatest hero you’ve never heard of. As a storyteller, he is driven to tell stories of unsung heroes that people likely haven’t heard of and shared with the classroom the reasons why it is so important to expand cultural narratives.

“Herb Carnegie, Larry Kwong and Fred Saskamoose should be household names in Canada as they’re all pioneers in our national pastime—hockey. The question is: why aren’t these athletes part of our dominant cultural myths?” adds Arellano. “Maybe the answer lies somewhere in how a society creates and incorporates narratives and events based on factors like gender and race. There are so many unrecognized Canadian heroes that it’s hard to ignore issues like economics, class and culture.”

Those interested in watching Bonecrusher can check out the films screening at the Halifax Black Film Festival.