Manchester Libraries in partnership with Withington Walls have produced an exciting new digital educational resource, designed for schools to use with children in Key Stages 2 and 3.
The digital resource presents a curated selection of 100 items from the Marcus Rashford Mural Tributes archive, held at Manchester Central Library, and uses them to reflect on themes such as community action, empathy and the power of the collective.
The resource is primarily designed to be used in class by schools, and in workshop settings by local community groups. It includes:
– an introductory film presented by journalist and author Carl Anka
– interactive features such as the ability to select your favourite items
– audio recordings made with people from Withington
– activity worksheets for teachers to use in class
The resource is free for all to use
The mural of Marcus Rashford, located in Withington where he lived as a child on the Old Moat Estate, was created by artist AkseP19 and is based on a photograph by Daniel Cheetham.
Crowdfunded and organised by community street art project Withington Walls in 2020, the mural celebrated Marcus Rashford’s campaign against child food poverty which ultimately forced a change in Government policy regarding free school meals for children.
In 2021, following the penalty shootout loss in the UEFA Euro final, the mural was defaced with offensive messages, and England’s black players, including Rashford, faced racist abuse online. The community in Withington responded by initially covering the vandalism with bin bags and subsequently with heartfelt messages of love and support, which snowballed into thousands of messages from the wider community and a collective demonstration of solidarity and resilience. This powerful response highlighted the strength of support for Marcus and a united stand against racism and online hate.
Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Employment, Skills and Leisure said: “We recognised very quickly that it was important for us to save the community response to the vile online hate, and it was no surprise that this strong and vibrant local community came together to make a stand against hatred. With the messages preserved and now digitised by our archive team in Manchester Libraries, this will be an important educational resource for all our schools to access and the wider public will also be able to access the digitised archive of messages ensuring that the community voice is preserved for ever.”
Ed Wellard, from Withington Walls said: “We’re incredibly proud to have been part of the creation of this resource which brings to life the important story of the mural creation, its vandalism and the community response that followed. We hope that it’s interesting and inspiring and helps young people consider the power of community, empathy and standing up for what matters.”
The Marcus Rashford Wall of Hope: An Educational Resource by Manchester Libraries and Withington Walls is commissioned as part of Digital Spaces, supported by The Space in association with Arts Council England. Created in partnership with MBD.