Marcus Rashford delivers magic on and off the pitch
|
Listen to this story
|
In early June, Marcus Rashford was celebrating; football was finally back after a prolonged coronavirus-enforced absence, and he had successfully urged UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to offer free school meals to children across the country over the summer holidays.
The Manchester United and England forward also came out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement; Rashford said society was “more divided than ever” in an anti-racism message sparked by the May death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Floyd was killed after a police officer held him down by pressing a knee into his neck, and sports stars worldwide have since joined in widespread condemnation.
Four months on, Rashford has once again forced a change of heart from the UK government, after another wildly successful campaign to ensure that kids have enough food to eat.
On a day when the House of Commons voted against extending free meal vouchers to vulnerable children through the holidays, Rashford returned to the football pitch with aplomb. The striker netted a sensational hat-trick in the Champions League – his first career treble.
Back in March, Rashford worked with the charity FareShare to provide meals for impoverished children. He then set up a Child Food Poverty Task Force with various UK food suppliers and charities.
In October, in the Queen’s birthday honours, Rashford was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his charity work. The 23-year-old then criticized a “lack of empathy” on the part of government ministers. He launched a petition calling for free school meal provision to be extended over the Christmas holidays – it earned 200,000 signatures within a day.
As public pressure mounted around the country, Johnson called Rashford to tell him the government would spend more than £400 million to support needy children and their families in England from the start of December to the end of March.
“Black lives matter. Black culture matters. Black communities matter. We matter.”
Marcus Rashford
While in the past having a political opinion – any political opinion – may have kept some British footballers silent for fear of alienating fans, that is certainly no longer the case.
Athletes in the US constantly use their wealth and status to influence social issues; Serena Williams has invested in businesswomen of colour; LeBron James’s More Than A Vote campaign encouraged young people to register while fighting voter suppression.
Colin Kaepernick, who first took a knee during the USA anthem, has become a global symbol for contemporary athlete activism.
Rashford told British Vogue how he has been deeply inspired by the wave of Black Lives Matter activism over the past few months.
“I’m a black man from a black family and I will eventually have black children. I want my children to grow up in a world where regardless of the colour of your skin you have the same opportunities to succeed in life. The beauty of the government U-turn was that we all came together as one – regardless of race, sex, religion, background.”
“No child in this country should be going hungry … end of story.”
