Ms. Rachel Cries After Being ‘Bullied’ For Raising Money For Kids In Bad Situations — ‘I Care Deeply For All Children’
All she wanted was to use her platform to bring attention to the violence that children across the world are experiencing.
msrachel | YouTube Rachel Accurso, known as Ms. Rachel, is a popular YouTuber and social media personality best known for creating educational and entertaining content for toddlers and infants.
She recently opened up about the bullying she's been facing because of a fundraising campaign she launched. Many people immediately jumped to her defense and pointed out that there was absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to help children in need.
Ms. Rachel announced her plan to raise money for kids in bad situations.
In a TikTok video, Accurso shared a philanthropic endeavor called "Messages Of Love To Children From Children" and urged her followers to help her by tagging Cameo, a website and mobile app that allows its users to request personalized video messages from celebrities who have also signed up for the platform.
The entire idea surrounding the project was that Accurso would make videos for children, and all of the money raised would be donated to Save The Children's Emergency Fund for the children living amid the conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ukraine.
Months of assaults following the Oct. 7 attack have left an estimated 13,800 Palestinian children and 33 Israeli children who have been killed in Gaza.
In Sudan, more than 2.9 million children are acutely malnourished, and an additional 729,000 children under five are suffering from severe acute malnutrition — the most dangerous and deadly form of extreme hunger.
In the Democratic of Congo, at least 78,000 children were forced to flee their homes, with thousands now on the road to Goma, and in Ukraine, during the 18 months of war, at least 545 children have been killed, and an estimated 1,156 children have been injured.
Accurso intended to help children smile with the videos she'd make on Cameo while simultaneously raising money to help all of the other little children across the world subjected to senseless violence, displacement, starvation, and death.
"Children should never experience the horrors of war. These are grave violations of their human rights. Children should be protected; children should have healthy food, clean water, protection from violence, [and] a safe place to live," she insisted.
Following her announcement to raise money, Ms. Rachel was met with backlash.
In a TikTok video, a content creator with the username @yourfinestpardon, who makes pop culture content and breakdowns, explained that Accurso received requests for 500 videos, most between a minute and three minutes long — each personalized.
Then, news outlets started publishing articles accusing Accurso of caring about one group of children more than the other. She was branded as antisemitic for refusing to acknowledge the Jewish children who had been killed, despite her fundraiser going toward everyone in Gaza.
All the backlash and bullying got to be too much, and Accurso ended up posting another video of herself crying and addressing the hate.
"The bullying is so bad," a tearful Accurso said. "Saying I don't care about all kids just hurts so bad. That is who I am. I love my neighbor. I love every child. Imagine for one second what a mom is going through ... unable to feed her child or give her child clean water or keep her children safe."
Despite all the bullying, Accurso stood firm in her decision to continue raising money and helping as many children and families as she could.
That kind of resilience and dedication should've been commended instead of criticized. Thankfully, instead of letting the vitriol consume her, Accurso rose above it.
"Advocating against the genocide and horrible treatment of one group is not advocating for horrible treatment to another group," @yourfinestpardon pointed out. "Doing any good in the world that has any impact is really difficult. She is giving her time and her platform to do it."
No child in this world deserves to be subjected to the horrors of conflict and violence, and Accurso's efforts to alleviate their suffering should be celebrated.
Her dedication to raising awareness and funds for children in need, regardless of their background or nationality, shows the true spirit of what it means to be a human being who deeply cares about other humans.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.