Celebrating Impact(2): Marcus Rashford

It is hardly surprising that someone born on October 31 should be such a shining beacon in his own life. After all, that particular day is full of other famous precedents, including the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which marked the end of the Cold War, NASA launching its Wind spacecraft on a mission to explore the space environment between the Sun and Earth, and Martin Luther, in 1517, reportedly nailing his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, sparking the Protestant Reformation. Despite being not yet 26 years old, his influence has been seismic, affecting not only the game he plays, football, but British society as well in the impact he's made, challenging the government, no less, to be more caring and empathetic.

Born in Wythenshawe, Manchester, in England, Marcus started playing football at the tender age of five, and joined the Manchester United youth academy just two years later. He made his first-team debut in February 2016 (at 19 years old), scoring two goals against Midtjylland in the UEFA Europa League (the youngest English player to score in his first senior international match), following that up with two more goals on his Premier League debut just three days later against Arsenal. No other demonstration was needed to stamp his amazing talent, at such a young age, on public consciousness.

Since then, Marcus has established himself as one of the most exciting young players in the world, having won numerous individual and team awards, including the PFA Young Player of the Year award in 2019. Additionally, he's been capped over 50 times by England and was part of the squad that reached the Euro 2020 final, a moment that should have been the icing on the cake for him, but was ruined by mindless racism against him.

The Euro final between England and their opponent, Italy, went to a penalty shootout and Marcus was chosen to take the team's third penalty. Unfortunately his effort hit the post, going wide, and Italy won the tournament after saving two more penalties. Marcus, and his Black team mates rapidly became scapegoats for England's loss and were subjected to a tsunami of "racially abusive messages on social media". Even a street mural by the artist, Akse, honouring him in Withington was vandalised, too, but residents filled the wall with hearts and messages to show their support for him, until Akse returned to restore the mural. A year after the Euro finals saw better times when Marcus captained England for the first time, making history as the youngest England captain since Michael Owen in 2003.

Social Campaigns

Off the football field, Marcus Rashford has had an even more enduring impact tackling social issues. He is an active vocal campaigner against racism, homelessness and, in particular, child poverty and hunger in the UK, donating his own money to the cause, as well as helping to raise millions of pounds for charity. His public campaign began during the Covid19 lockdown when he contacted a charity to make a "substantial" donation, but was persuaded by the CEO to help raise some money instead and he decided to provide his full support. The initial target was to support 400,000 children in the region, and the initiative "quickly raised over £20 million to provide food for children nationwide" who would receive free school meals, if they were still at school. With his support, the charity was able to provide four million meals across the country in the end.

Marcus also wrote an open letter to the UK government calling on them to end child poverty - a letter that went viral on social media and was poignant in the way it used his own life and mother to make his points. The government announced a change in policy the day after, upholding the extension of free school meals for children during the summer holidays. His campaign was credited as a major turning point in governmental action.Three months later, in his attempt to tackle child food insecurity on a long term basis, Marcus set up the Child Food Poverty Task Force "in collaboration with several UK food shops, manufacturers, charities and delivery companies". These activities led to him being awarded the public honour of Member of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to education, by the late Queen Elizabeth in 2020.

Coming from a working class family, Marcus seems driven by the acute awareness of the struggle of his single mother, Melanie Maynard, who often had to work multiple jobs to feed him and his siblings, "sometimes skipping meals herself to ensure Rashford and his siblings ate". As anyone emerging from the pervasive and grinding poverty of the West Indies knows, his mother would have found it very difficult coping with four children and her other jobs. Perhaps for that reason, his empathy for others in a similar situation has been immense.

His success is credited to his personal drive and ambition, but he is clearly not afraid to take risks, to challenge injustice or to stand up for what he thinks is right, which, considering his youth and occupation, makes him a rare person. There is no doubt that Marcus Rashford is an amazing role model for young people all over the world, with an empathy and maturity that is rare in one so young. As a talented footballer, a successful businessman, and a dedicated philanthropist who genuinely cares for others, he is an inspiration to everyone, and my special tribute for this month. I have been blown away by his tireless energy, his tenacity in fighting for what he believes in, and his fearlessness in making it happen.

SOURCES: https://www.britannica.com/on-this-day/October-31# https://sendat.academy/students/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/01/lks2-marcus-rashford-differentiated-reading-comprehension-activity_ver_9.pdf en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Rashford

SEE TRIBUTE #1 - Bernardine Evaristo, Author

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