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Marcus Rashford to appear on the cover of British Vogue this month to celebrate activism

British Vogue Editor in Chief Edward Enninful has described the 2020 September issue as a "rallying cry for the future".

Emily Sergeant - 4th August 2020

British Vogue / Twitter – @MarcusRashford

Marcus Rashford is to be featured on the cover of British Vogue’s activism-themed issue this month.

The Wythenshawe-born Manchester United star famously partnered with the charity FareShare to deliver the groundbreaking #maketheUturn campaign in June and helped to raise over £20 million to feed around three million vulnerable children across the UK during the summer holidays.

He will appear on the front cover of the prestigious fashion magazine alongside model Adwoa Aboah.

The September issue of British Vogue is traditionally known to be the most important edition of the calendar year and Editor in Chief Edward Enninful has said that the 2020 September issue is a “rallying cry for the future”.

Announcing the news of the front cover feature on his social media platforms yesterday, Marcus Rashford described the honour as “a bit of a surreal moment”.

Bit of a surreal moment ?
Thank you @BritishVogue @Edward_Enninful ♥️ pic.twitter.com/vjOYiEF93I
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) August 3, 2020

The September 2020 issue of British Vogue will include the stories of 40 activists described as “The Faces of Hope”.

Among the other activists to feature in the issue are Radio 1 DJ Clara Amfo, racial justice campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, model Joan Smalls, author Reni Eddo-Lodge, Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors, and writer Janet Mock.

Rashford and Aboah were photographed by Misan Harriman, who is crucially the first black male photographer to shoot a British Vogue cover in its 104-year history.

The shoot was also done with a predominantly black team on set.

Speaking on the activism which prompted his cover feature, Rashford said: “I’m by no means a politician but I had a voice and a platform that could be used to at least ask the questions. If I didn’t put myself out there and say ‘This is not okay and it needs to change,’ [then] I would have failed my 10-year-old self.”

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“This is a year that shredded complacency,” writes @AfuaHirsch, in #BritishVogue’s September 2020 issue cover story. “It is a year that has elevated the visibility of legendary figures from those past battles, and ushered in a new generation of young activists, in which previously unknown campaigners and celebrities alike became unapologetic about demanding change.” Meet the 20 activists on the cover making change, from #DrMeenalViz who became the voice and campaigner for BAME health workers at higher risk from the virus, to 86-year-old anti-racism activist and educator #JaneElliott, whose lifetime of work is currently gaining unprecedented attention, and Puerto Rican model and Vogue regular #JoanSmalls, who is donating 50 per cent of her earnings for the rest of 2020 to Black Lives Matter charities, see the full portfolio in the new issue, on newsstands and available for digital download Friday 7 August. And read the full story at the link in bio. #VogueHope Featuring: @Meenals_World @TamikaDMallory @RizAhmed @JanetMock Professor Angela Davis Jane Elliott Alice Wong @Disability_Visibility @IJesseWilliams @JoanSmalls Photographed by @MisanHarriman, @PhilipDanielDucasse, @KingTexas, and @EddieH__.

A post shared by British Vogue (@britishvogue) on Aug 3, 2020 at 9:16am PDT

This is Marcus Rashford’s latest accolade and comes after he became the youngest ever person to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester last month.

Vogue’s Hope issue is a collaboration between all 26 editions of the magazine around the world for the September and October issues, and it marks the first time in Vogue’s 128-year history that all editions are consolidating under a singular editorial theme.

The September 2020 issue of British Vogue will be available on newsstands across the UK and via digital download on Friday 7th August.