2 minute read
Speaker’s Story - Marcus Rashford
SPEAKER’S STORY
Marcus Rashford
Footballer and activist
Marcus Rashford began playing for Manchester United at the age of just seven years old. He is a campaigner* against homelessness and child hunger. Marcus has two brothers and two sisters, and growing up his mother Melanie often had to work lots of different jobs so that Marcus and his family could eat; sometimes she had to skip meals herself to make sure that her children ate. Often when people grow up in tough conditions it makes them want to use their voice to change things so that others don’t have to experience the same problems. This is exactly what Marcus did, he used his fame for good and spoke out for those who needed help.
During the coronavirus lockdown, the Government in the United Kingdom, where Marcus lives, made the decision to stop giving out free school meals, as the children couldn’t go to the school itself. They had also decided that these children would not receive free meals during the school holidays. Marcus knew from his childhood how important it is to get a good meal every day of the year and how hard it is for people who can’t find the money to pay for food. He started a petition* online, which ended up getting over one million signatures! He challenged the Government and as a result of his challenge, they changed their minds, and thousands of children who would have gone hungry continued to get daily meals.
Marcus is also very passionate about child literacy (being able to read and write). Marcus himself said that he could not read and write properly until he was 17, but once he started, he couldn’t stop!
* Campaigner: a person who takes part in activities that help to change something in society, for example an animal rights campaigner.
* A petition is a request to change something, it is usually written down.
