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Black History Month: Forge FC’s Triston Henry on Marcus Rashford
Canadian Premier League

Black History Month runs from Feb. 1-March 1, 2021. CanPL.ca will feature articles throughout the month profiling the Canadian Premier League’s many outstanding players of colour, as well as stories about their views on the importance of Black History Month.


Forge FC goalkeeper Triston Henry has selected Manchester United and England striker Marcus Rashford as someone to highlight for Black History Month.

The 2020 CPL Goalkeeper of the Year says his choice of a contemporary – with Rashford being four years younger – is an important one.

“We have our leaders that have been with us forever,” Henry told CanPL.ca. “But when you see something that a young athlete like this is doing, especially in football… he’s doing something huge, especially during a time like the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s something amazing that is getting pushed under the rug with everything else that’s going on in the world.”

Rashford has raised millions of dollars to fight childhood hunger in the United Kingdom, with initiatives spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic bringing international attention. The 23-year-old, who often uses his social media to promote fundraisers, won the FIFA Foundation Award and was recently featured by Time Magazine in its “The Next 100” issue.

Henry, like Rashford, came from a single-parent family and knows the importance of Rashford’s work.

“I know the struggle it is to have one parent that goes out there and works every day and does everything they can to provide for their family,” Henry said.

“He definitely understood what it felt like to grow up in that way and you don’t want that for any other kid. He is giving them the best opportunity just by feeding them – it’s the easiest thing you can do.”