News | Tuesday, 25th August 2020
Windrush campaigner alumnus one of Vogue’s ‘faces of hope’
Patrick Vernon recognised in special activism edition for campaigning for Windrush generation
British Vogue has featured social campaigner, cultural historian and Manchester Metropolitan University alumnus Patrick Vernon in its special September issue dedicated to activists.
Vernon has been recognised for his role in campaigning for the rights of the Windrush generation. 40 activists from all over the world have been named the ‘faces of hope’ in Vogue’s September issue – seen as its most important of the year – which this year is focussed on activists.
Vernon, a law graduate at Manchester Metropolitan, is featured alongside inspirational activists including Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors and Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford who stars alongside model and mental health advocate Adwoa Aboah on the front cover.
Vernon said: “It is great to be recognised by British Vogue for my activism along with other campaigners that I admire too. I want to use this platform to further raise the ongoing struggles of the Windrush Generation and the impact of the hostile environment policy and the failure of the Windrush Compensation Scheme to right the wrongs of discrimination and lack of duty of care by the Home Office and successive governments. I know many people in Manchester have been affected by the scandal and I hope my profile in Vogue will further shine a light.”
Vernon has spent the last 30 years fighting for civil rights and equality. Drawing on his experience in the voluntary and public sector, along with his passion for cultural history, he has led several high-profile campaigns on cultural heritage and social justice in the UK over the last decade.
It is great to be recognised by British Vogue for my activism along with other campaigners that I admire too.
Since 2010, Vernon has led an ongoing campaign for the rights of the Windrush generation as well being a key figure in the campaign for national Windrush Day which was successfully granted by the government in 2018.
He also launched the landmark campaign 100 Great Black Britons, one of the most successful movements to celebrate a thousand years of black presence in Britain. In 2012, Vernon was awarded an OBE for his work in tackling health inequalities for ethnic minority communities in Britain.
Vernon’s journey into campaigning and activism can be traced back to when he was studying law at Manchester Metropolitan in the early eighties. Studying in Manchester helped to influence his career and his campaigning and activism.
Vernon said: “I’m heavily involved in [campaigning for those affected by] the Windrush scandal and 30 years ago when I was a student I was involved in a similar case, in immigration. It’s funny how things go full circle. Being a student in the law department empowered you. Studying law gave me the confidence to challenge and to advocate. I still do that now.”
Vogue’s September issues are highly regarded and seen as the most important issue of the year. For the first time in Vogue’s 128-year history, all 26 international editions are dedicating their September issues to the shared theme of hope.
